Of Gorse and Vines
by Alderheart
Summary: [CLICK TO SEE EXTENDED BLURB] Gorsekit is just an average cat with an average life. She's had her fair share of ups and downs, friends and family. But when an old enemy threatens to destroy the clans, she has to make the hardest choice of all. Whether or not to give up her safe life for one of destruction. And whether or not kin is more important than history.
1. Prologue and Allegiance - Revised

**[Revised 12/3/18]:** Grammar + Extended Blurb/Explanation

 **Extended Blurb/Explanation:** This story originally started as a writing challenge to write a sequel to a book that didn't exist. The challenge was to make a coherent storyline where the reader gets to learn the backstory of the universe with the main character. The main purpose of writing the story like this was to try to capture some of the magic that was prevalent in the first two books of the original series.

Obviously, this being a challenge, I might not succeed in writing an extremely coherent story. Of course, I'll try my best to do so! Another caveat is that due to the fact that this is the life story of one cat, the blurb doesn't actually apply to the entire story. There will be several arcs and side-stories before the main central arc. I'm doing this because not only will it help build the universe considering this is technically supposed to be a "sequel," it will also give the story some more substance.

Hope you enjoy!

 **[Original A/N]:** Hi! First time publishing a story here, hope you guy enjoy reading it and please review!

ThunderClan

Leader: **Swallowstar** – gray tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and amber eyes

Deputy: **Cloudwhisper** – light gray mottled she-cat with bright blue eyes

Medicine Cat: **Sunfur** – old tom with radiant orange fur

Apprentice: **Pigeonpaw –** small gray she-cat with a white tipped tail

Warriors: **Whitefoot** – large white and gray tom with a patched tail

 **Brighteye** – snow white she-cat with heterochromia; green and blue

 **Leaftail** – brown tabby she-cat with dark patches on the tail reminiscent of fallen leaves

 **Oakfur** – dark mottled tom with brown eyes

Apprentice: **Rabbitpaw** – small she-cat with gray fur and white paws

 **Blazepelt** – orange tabby tom with white paws similar to a fox

 **Hareleap** – sleek silver she-cat

 **Chestnutbriar** – light gray tom with a subtle brown tinge

 **Eaglebreeze** – lithe tom with brown and gray streaks

Apprentice: **Vinepaw** – thin gray tabby tom

 **Shrewtooth** – small brown-gray she-cat with short-fur

 **Quailfur** – dark gray she-cat with white streaks near the base of the tail

 **Blackeye** – young, light gray tom with an abnormally dark brown eye, bordering black

 **Grassnose** – light and dark gray mottled tom with a scar across the nose like a blade of grass

 **Tigerstreak** – dull orange tom with incredibly light amber eyes

 **Creekripple –** light gray tom with a heavily scarred right front-paw

Elders: **Ivyflame –** a dark tom with dark green eyes

Queens: **Goldenwhisker –** a heather-colored she-cat with darker swirling patterns Kit: **Gorsekit –** grey striped she-cat with a dark striped tail

 **Brackenkit –** dark grey she-cat with splotches of brown throughout her pelt

RiverClan

Leader: **Sparrowstar** – a dark gray tom with dark amber eyes

Deputy: **Wrensong** – lean silver she-cat with brown paws

Medicine Cat: **Willowberry** – silver she-cat with a black belly, paws, tail, and ears

Apprentice: **Beepaw–** pale yellow and black tabby tom

Warriors: **Lilyspot** – brown and white spotted she-cat with deep brown eyes

 **Cloverlight** – light brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **Ebonyear** – black tom with white stripes and a white ear-tip

Apprentice: **Swiftpaw** – white-and-gray spotted tom

 **Flintstrike** – dark gray tom with light yellow eyes

 **Stagspeck** – reddish-brown she-cat with long fur

 **Webblaze** – muscled, light grayish-blue tom with a lighter flicked pelt

 **Otterrunner** – dark brown tom

Apprentice: **Slatepaw** – light gray tom with tabby stripes and green eyes

 **Mottlefire** – mottled brown she-cat with a black stripe on her forehead

 **Sageflight** – ginger she-cat with lighter paws

 **Mothblossom –** light tabby she-cat

Elders: **Emberheart –** a light ginger she-cat

Queens: **Elmflower –** light brown she-cat with darker paws, belly, and tail

Kit: **Lightkit –** white she-kit with a brown belly

 **Tansykit –** light brown she-kit with darker paws

WindClan

Leader: **Lionstar** – a muscled, ginger tom with a darker belly, ears, and paws and emerald eyes

Deputy: **Raccoonfur** – black-and-white striped tom

Medicine Cat: **Dapplesplash** – white-and-black dappled she-cat with a splash of ginger on her back

Warriors: **Dawnfrost** – dark brown she-cat with sharp amber eyes

 **Birdpad** – a plain brown tom with lighter paws

Apprentice: **Mistypaw** – gray she-cat with darker swirling patterns

 **Goldensky** – light ginger, almost golden, tom with green eyes

Apprentice: **Bearpaw** – dark brown tabby tom

 **Littlepath** – incredibly small black she-cat with short fur

 **Amberpatch** – fawn-colored she-cat with lighter patches and dark amber eyes

 **Leopardspring** – a long-legged black-and-white patterned tom

 **Orchidfang** – large, muscled white-and-brown tom

Apprentice: **Dandelionpaw** – a light ginger, almost yellow she-cat

 **Honeygaze** – white she-cat with light yellow eyes

 **Owlfall** – dark brown tom with black tabby markings

 **Cherrytuft–** fluffy she-cat with a light amber gaze

Elders: **Dovestorm –** white she-cat with a heavily scarred muzzle

 **Crowcall –** plain black tom

Queens: none

ShadowClan

Leader: **Fernstar** – white she-cat with splashes of black on her legs and back

Deputy: **Mudwhisker** – plain brown tom with yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: **Hollowskip** – dark brown she-cat with white paws

Apprentice: **Doepaw–** light brown she-cat with white splotches on her back

Warriors: **Goosedusk** – a gray-and-white patched she-cat with long, silky fur

 **Badgerdust** – black tom with barely visible tabby markings

Apprentice: **Mintpaw** – light gray she-cat with a black belly, paws, and ears

 **Beechthorn** – muscled light-yellow tom with fluffy, tangled fur

 **Vixenwing** – dull orange she-cat with two white stripes down her back

Apprentice: **Puddlepaw** – grayish-blue tom

 **Pounceshine** – long-legged gray tom with white paws and black tabby markings

 **Robinpool** – reddish-brown she-cat with black paws

 **Sandface** – white she-cat with a sandy-colored face, paws, ears, tail, belly, chest, and tabby markings on her back

 **Yellowstripe** – yellow tom with black stripes

 **Mapleclaw** – reddish-brown she-cat

 **Adderspark –** brown tom with reddish tabby markings

 **Ravenstem –** black she-cat with gray tabby markings

Elders: **Brackenstep–** brown tom with light yellow eyes

Queens: **Thrushwish–** blueish-gray she-cat

Kit: **Tawnykit –** reddish-ginger she-kit with black tabby markings

 **Cinderkit –** gray tom kit

 **Juniperkit –** blueish-gray she-kit 

Prologue

The moon hung ominously overhead, almost as a forbearer of calamity, the entire forest was in slumber, resting after a tireless day of activity, however not all were asleep. Quiet yet noticeable paw steps resounded softly throughout the clearing as a dark figure carefully treaded across the dew-laden grass. Each step made only a minimal sound as the figure snaked quietly through to the center of the clearing, eyes focused ahead.

"You're early," sniffed another voice gruffly behind her, the figure quickly spun around to face one of the largest cats that she had ever met. The enormous arrivant loomed over her covering up most of the moon and casting an artificial cloak of darkness over her. She shrunk back hissing as she stepped back a few paw steps, trying to put distance between herself and the giant of a cat

"And I don't plan on staying any longer," she hissed defensively, "where are the herbs? The quicker the better," she added for good measure before looking at the tom imploringly.

"Ah, all in good time my little deceiver," he chuckled as he spun around with his tail in the air, beckoning her to follow, "you do understand what this little 'stash' is going to cost you right?" he continued, "the last deal I made ended with me and a corpse," he added layering the threat over a sarcastic tone. Arriving at a small bush, he swiped his large paw over the plant moving it aside to reveal the stash. The figure looked upon the stash with satisfaction, this was more than enough for her plan.

"This will do," she conceded, trying not to hide her obvious excitement that her plan was finally coming into fruition. However, the glee did not go undetected prompting a gruff snicker from the tom.

"Great, now your turn to keep up the deal," reminded the tom, stepping forward toward the figure with an air of dominance.

Mutely, she retreated back to retrieve a small bundle wrapped in a large oak leaf. As she carefully flipped open the wrappings, the soft moon-lighted glinted on something smooth. In front, both of the conspirators were a small kit, hardly a moon old. The kit mewed once before turning and returning back to sleep, unperturbed by the shadowy deal that was currently conspiring before it.

"Very good," the tom noted before wrapping the kit back up with the oak leaf and lightly picking it up between his jaws as to not hurt it. "I will be taking my leave then, it was indeed a pleasure," he promptly stated before turning and stalking back into the shadows. A moment later the thick forest air had enveloped the tom leaving nary a trace of his location. After the figure was for certain the tom had left she let out a long gust of air, before gathering up the herbs in her spare oakleaf and returning. Her paws ached of the treachery she had just committed but she knew that there was no choice.

"Don't worry," she mumbled under her breath, "I'll get you back sister, just rest easy for now," pain aching in her voice, perhaps she was trying to justify what she had just done, or perhaps it was a futile attempt to soothe her obviously fluttered heart. But with a shake of her head, she stalked through the underbrush of the forest, leaving the worries behind.

After all, this was all part of her plan.


	2. Chapter 1 - Revised

**[Revised 12/3/18]:** Grammar + slight rewriting of the play scene to be more coherent.

 **[Original A/N]:** Hi again, I figured I'd post the first chapter immediately so there would be a bit more substance to the story than just the allegiances and the prologue. The goal is to post once a week on Tuesday, however, I might have to chunk up chapters if I don't have time to finish them. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 1

Astute, the lithe she-cat quietly stalked her prey, her eyes tunneling on her target, she was completely focused on executing the perfect hunt. Her paws silently ran over the bumpy ground beneath her as she inched ever closer. Suddenly with a powerful leap she went for her target, paws outstretched out in front of her.

"Gorsekit! Stop that at once! You are going hurt your sibling," chided Goldenwhisker, her mother.

"Aw, couldn't you see I almost got it?" gestured Gorsekit at her target, a small tuft of a feather from a recently eaten piece of fresh-kill.

"I'm sure you'll be a great hunter one day, but right now you're just a kit. You'll have plenty of time to practice hunting when you're an apprentice," scolded her mother, however, there was an unmistakable note of pride in her voice. She quickly nudged aside her sister Brackenkit to the side of the den, knowing that the second she wasn't looking, Gorsekit was going to attempt her hunt again. Just as expected, as soon as she left the den to get a breath of fresh air Gorsekit was back into her deadly-hunter mode, ready to resume what she had left off. Suddenly she heard mews outside the den, she was about to go tear them a piece of her mind, telling them how their rampant yowling was going to scare away her hunt when she heard her name.

"I think Gorsekit is going to make a fine hunter when she gets older," whispered her mother.

"What makes you say that?" a voice resounded outside, easily distinguishable as her fathers from the gruffness, almost as if his throat was perpetually dry.

"She was toying around with a piece of feather from today morning, I can see she has a talent for it," her mother explained outside. "Be quiet and look, I bet she is performing her little act right now."

Scrambling back towards the feather, Gorsekit with a swift swipe of her paw batted the feather fluttering backward through the nursery, turning she quickly landed on her right haunches before pushing forward and tackling right into the terrified feather, hooking it on the tip of her claw and dragging it down to the soft earth.

"Gorsekit," the gruff mew resounded from the entrance of the nursery, Gorsekit spun around to face her dad, Oakfur. He was in every sense a wall, towering upon Gorsekit and looking at her with intense brown eyes, however, his eyes only held an unwavering pride for his daughter. He would never admit that of course. "Don't you know it's unsightly to play so roughly in the nursery? You're terrifying your sister," he scolded.

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry," apologized Gorsekit, not remorseful in the slightest.

"It's about time you started playing outside of the den anyway," her dad went on; however, his tone of voice was noticeably softer, "I'm sure Vinepaw or the other apprentices would be more than happy to play with you." This caught Gorsekit off guard. The majority of the time when her father reprimanded her, it would be a quick scolding and that would be the end of it. But now, it seemed he was actively encouraging her to keep up with her antics. That feather had not seen the last of her!

Nodding in affirmation to her dad, she lightly brushed past him and made her way to the entrance of the nursery. Brushing aside the vines that hung from the top of the ceiling, she spotted Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw tussling near the corner beside the Apprentice's Den. They stopped once she had gotten close enough and eyed her in interest.

"You guys wouldn't mind if I played with you guys, would you?" she inquired rather shyly.

"Are you sure? You aren't that old yet, we might hurt you." Vinepaw mewed in worry, Gorsekit could see the excitement in his eyes though, he would be another friend to play with.

"I'm more than five moons old!" she defended herself, "or is it because you are afraid you'll be bested by a mere kit?" she teased.

"Oh, it is on!" piqued Vinepaw, "Rabbitpaw and I were reenacting Firestar's fight with Tigerstar," a popular kits tale, "you can be Firestar's friend, Graystripe!"

"I thought only Firestar and Tigerstar fought, no one else?" questioned Gorsekit confusedly.

"How else will you play with us, dummy? Anyways, I'm Tigerstar and Rabbitpaw is Firestar," retorted Vinepaw over his shoulder as he padded towards an awaiting Rabbitpaw.

Excited, Gorsekit quickly bounded towards the two, but she was mainly focusing on Vinepaw, after all, he had disgraced her honor by thinking she would get hurt. Vinepaw spun around, ready to receive Gorsekit's best strike. Thinking fast, Gorsekit faked to the left causing Vinepaw to veer off to the wrong direction. Turning her body around in mid-leap, she landed on her haunches allowing her to quickly change direction and charge directly into Vinepaw's awaiting back. Just as she leaped, she felt Rabbitpaw barrel into her and knock her off-kilter.

"Firestar! How dare you attack Graystripe!" roared Vinepaw, apparently Graystripe and Tigerstar were now allies in war. Gorsekit turned just in time to see Rabbitpaw pounce towards her. Thinking fast, Gorsekit fell limp, letting Rabbitpaw overshoot the tackle. Despite that, Rabbitpaw's larger size allowed her to quickly correct for this misstep and drag Gorsekit along with her. Vinepaw, Tigerstar, perhaps realizing still confused on whether or not Graystripe was an enemy, quickly leaped to Gorsekit's defense, using his left paw as a spring, he pushed off and went head-first into Rabbit paw's soft underbelly knocking her off from Gorsekit who, using this opportunity, quickly scrambled out from under Rabbitpaw. Just as Gorsekit was about to leap back into the fray, a powerful swipe caught her just below the muzzle bringing her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her.

"Haha, look at this poor little kit, need to run back to your mother?" Gorsekit looked up, eyes blazing, into Tigerstreak, a new warrior.

"Buzz off, Tigerstreak," responded Vinepaw with a dismissive tone, "You're obviously bigger than her, it's not much of an accomplishment beating a kit you know."

"What do you know you are just an _apprentice_ ," mocked Tigerstreak before flicking his tail in his direction and stalking off.

"Oh StarClan, I hate that one," Rabbitpaw mewed in disgust before coming over to Gorsekit, "are you alright? He didn't hit you too hard, did he?"

"No, he barely scuffed my fur at all!" Gorsekit mewed proudly puffing out her chest, immediately contradicted by several wheezing coughs. "He just caught me off guard, that's all," saved Gorsekit, perhaps trying to recover some dignity.

"Well if you're sure, I'm sure old Sunfur isn't busy enough to give you a once-over if you want though. I've got patrol at sundown with _warriors_ so I'm going to get a bite early," Rabbitpaw responded, with a hint of pride, before making her way to the fresh-kill pile.

"Want to share a sparrow with me?" Vinepaw mumbled through a mouthful of feathers as he returned from the pile, "I picked the juiciest looking one!"

Gorsekit had never shared with any cat before, never mind an apprentice. Trying to stifle her excitement, she tried her best to calmly pad over to the sparrow before responding, "sure, you look like you haven't eaten in a moon though."

"I was born this way!" Vinepaw mocked in offense before chuckling and digging a bite out of the fresh-kill. After both finishing the meal Vinepaw head off for his den, it was getting dark after all. "Tomorrow, when Eaglebreeze and I finish the morning patrols, I want to play with you again!" he cheered enthusiastically before leaving for his nest.

"It's a deal then," responded Gorsekit with matched enthusiasm before returning for the nursery. As she pushed inside, past the vines, the familiar milky scent soothed her mind and made her completely forget about Tigerstreak and his irritating demeanor.

"Did you have fun?" cooed her mother from one of the nests as Brackenkit curled up beside her.

"I sure did, I even made some friends too," Gorsekit responded with a yawn

Curling up in her nest of soft moss, she thought about tomorrow, she planned out the entire schedule of the day while drifting off to sleep. First, she would get fresh-kill, then she would wait outside the entrance of the camp until she saw Eaglebreeze's signature gray streaks followed by Vinepaw. Then they would commit to glorious combat until she would unquestionably vanquish him in the ultimate victory, then she would . . .

What would come next would have to be seen, for she had already fallen asleep.

o-o-o

The soft patter of raindrops resounded outside, muffled by the vines near the entrance. Gorsekit had not been able to play with Vinepaw today. Vinepaw had valiantly gone out into the rain with Eaglebreeze in the morning patrols. Unfortunately, Goldenwhisker had forbidden her from leaving. The tone of voice that Goldenwhisker had was so commanding Gorsekit couldn't help but feel as if she was speaking to the leader of ThunderClan.

Mumbling, she buried her head in her paws. She had gotten all worked up over nothing this morning, but as she had waited eagerly for Vinepaw's return. The weather, as if to mock her, had turned sour and began to rain drops of pure inconvenience onto the earth.

"Gorsekit? Want to play moss-ball?" a soft mew came behind her, Brackenkit, her softly spoken sister questioned. Everyone in ThunderClan constantly mentioned the consistent comment about her and her sister. The rumor was that they must've come from two different litters because they looked nothing alike. Most of these comments were more of a tease however, it was obvious to anyone looking that her bright amber eyes were the same as her mother's namesake.

"Sure, you know I'm quite talented at moss-ball, be warned," threatened Gorsekit playfully before dropping into a crouch and stared at her sister, waiting for her first move. Brackenkit batted the moss-ball towards Gorsekit. Seeing that her target was on the move, Gorsekit leaped up from her crouch and caught the ball with the tip of her claw. Landing, she bounded backward before flinging the moss-ball towards her sister. Somehow, she had aimed it right at the tip of her nose and it bounced off her muzzle, knocking Brackenkit off balance and onto her back.

"Are you alright?" Gorsekit asked as she came over and nudged her back onto her feet, just as Brackenkit was about to reply, they heard a loud commotion outside. Distracted, they both went up against the vines of the nursery to listen into the commotion. Suddenly, Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw charged into the nursery, spraying drops of rainwater all over. Goldenwhisker stood up and stared at the rowdy apprentices with such intense fury, Gorsekit was sure the temperature in the nursery rose slightly.

"VINEPAW, RABBITPAW," she bellowed, "out, NOW!"

"We came for Gorsekit!" mewed Vinepaw defensively, "come on." He grabbed her by the scruff and tugged her out of the nursery before Goldenwhisker could protest. She felt the light misty rain cling to her pelt, it had lightened a lot compared to earlier. Goldenwhisker could no longer forbid her from leaving the nursery due to the weather.

"Eaglebreeze taught me a couple warrior moves while we were out patrolling!" mewed Vinepaw excitedly, "want me to show you?" All the excitement Gorsekit had yesterday came rushing back into her.

"Of course!"

"Watch as I demonstrate on Rabbitpaw, who is now a fat RiverClan cat." Vinepaw took a few steps back and faced Rabbitpaw, who mock-hissed at him. Using his hind-legs, he sprung up into the air. But instead of landing on Rabbitpaw, he landed just slightly to her left, then suddenly slammed into her with his shoulder causing her to roll over several times.

"Ow, Vinepaw, you don't have to be so rough," complained Rabbitpaw rubbing her sore ribs. Eyes sparkling, Gorsekit got ready to imitate the same move on Rabbitpaw. Seeing the intent in her eyes, Rabbitpaw quickly stood up and shimmied over next to Vinepaw.

"Definitely not, are you two _trying_ to kill me?" Rabbitpaw mewed indignantly. Gorsekit let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. Suddenly, Vinepaw looked up at both Gorsekit and Rabbitpaw.

"Hey, I just got a great idea!" he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Why don't we take Gorsekit to that old badger set we found? That way, we'll have more room to play and she can see some of the ThunderClan territory early!" Rabbitpaw looked at him worriedly.

"Hold on, don't you think we shou-"

"Too late, we're going," Vinepaw interrupted. He then promptly padded over to Eaglebreeze and asked, "Eaglebreeze? I think I left a mouse I buried back at the clearing, can I go fetch it with Rabbitpaw?" Eaglebreeze looked at him suspiciously but agreed.

"Just don't take too long." Vinepaw headed back towards them with a wide grin.

"Gorsekit, just go to Dirtplace and wait there, we'll loop around the camp and come to pick you up." Together, they padded out of the camp, pretending to be headed towards the clearing. Gorsekit, pretending to be bored, mosied over to the dirtplace before crouching alongside a wall, trying to stay quiet. As she waited for Rabbitpaw and Vinepaw to loop around, she noticed Cloudwhisper, the clan deputy, coming her way. Silently, she cursed, of course, somecat would come as soon as she needed to sneak out.

"What are you doing, Gorsekit?" questioned Cloudwhisper after she finished.

"I have a belly ache," moaned Gorsekit dramatically.

"Go see Sunfur then, instead of hiding here," sniffed Cloudwhisper slightly annoyedly before stalking away. Gorsekit rolled her eyes but stayed where she was. Suddenly, the fern to her left rustled, before Rabbitpaw's gray head popped through.

"Come on!" she hissed quietly before disappearing back into the ferns. Gorsekit got up and carefully made her way into the ferns. She had never realized that the area behind dirtplace lead to anywhere at all. Following the apprentices, they began to make their way through the forest.


	3. Chapter 2 - Revised

**[Revised 12/13/18]:** Lots of grammar, fixed italicized thought, and swapped out some words to make it read better.

 **[Original A/N]:** Hi again, sorry for being a day late. My finals just finished but the studying took a bit longer than expected, here's the second chapter. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 2

Soft paws glided over the moist foliage as the three cats made their way through the forest. Vinepaw looked quite triumphant in his plan succeeding, while Rabbitpaw looked as if she had just eaten something vile.

"See? I told you this would be a good idea. No one will even know." Vinepaw dabbed at Rabbitpaw with his paw.

"I'm just worried that we'll meet a patrol, that's all," said Rabbitpaw hesitantly, though she didn't seem all too convinced.

"At least Gorsekit is having fun, right?" Vinepaw turned to Gorsekit expectantly. Gorsekit didn't respond immediately, her mouth hung slightly open as she followed the apprentices.

"I didn't . . . I didn't know that there could be _so many_ trees in one place! And the scents! I don't recognize any of them but there are so many, and we've been walking for a while and there is still more to go!"

"You're going to love the badger set then." Vinepaw purred in amusement as they kept walking. After a couple of moments, they finally arrived at badger den. It was almost as grand as Gorsekit had imagined.

"In here!" mewed Vinepaw happily as he went into the entrance hole, followed by Rabbitpaw. Gorsekit could smell something very distinct about the hole, which she figured was most likely the scent of a badger. She couldn't tell if it was stale or not though. After thinking about it for a moment, she ignored her better judgment and hopped in. After all, Rabbitpaw and Vinepaw had gone in already. Her paws hit the dirt at a slope, and she tumbled down into the set rather ungracefully, coming to a stop in front of Vinepaw.

"Nice moves," he teased, before pushing her onto her feet. Gorsekit fluffed the dust out of her pelt and gave her chest an embarrassed lick. As her eyes were adjusting to the dark, she began to realize where she actually was. Rather than the small cove she had imagined, she was greeted by a large open area, and in the middle of it ran a small stream that seemed to drain into a hole in the wall. Several tunnels were along the sides of the walls, leading off into the darkness. However, it seemed most of them had been blocked by collapsed earth. A few of the tunnels were not blocked though, she wondered where they could possibly lead. Perhaps to other sets all over the forest?

"Isn't this place crazy?" mewed Rabbitpaw, her previous reservation seemingly gone, replaced by excitement.  
"I was the one that found it!" interjected Vinepaw proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Yeah, by _falling_ into it." Vinepaw didn't respond, instead, he batted at Rabbitpaw playfully getting them into a tussle. While they were duking it out by the stream, Gorsekit began to wander over to one of the tunnels that were not collapsed. As she approached it, she peered into the darkness. There wasn't anything to see besides the fact that the tunnel almost certainly extended further into the darkness.

"Be careful!" called Vinepaw from still beside the small stream before resuming his rampage of chasing Rabbitpaw around and snapping at her tail whenever he got close. Gorsekit propped herself up with her forepaws and tried her best to look deeper into the tunnel. There was more to see now, she could make out winding tunnels and dry moss hanging from the ceiling. Gorsekit hesitated for a second, maybe going into a damp, dark tunnel by herself wasn't the best idea, but she quickly hedged those lingering doubts and walked in.

She was immediately hit by just how musty the tunnels smelled. It was like the oldest, driest bedding from the elder's den was left out in the open for a dozen moons. Her throat went dry, but she steeled her will and continued in further. By now, the playful sounds of Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw sounded like a faraway echo. As she inched in further and further, it got progressively darker, until the only thing she could see was the immediate dirt wall in front of her. There was a slight creaking noise before she was dusted by loose dirt above her. _Was the ceiling collapsing?_ When she looked up at it, it looked firm enough to continue.

The further into the tunnels she went, the tighter the passages got. Until she could feel the tunnels pressing against her haunches as she crouched through. She had no idea why she was still continuing deeper, it didn't seem to her like it would lead anywhere. The ceiling dusted her once again with loose soil, causing her to sneeze. As she looked up again, she was greeted by a dark silhouette of a cat. Even in the dark, she could see that it wasn't very well fed, with jagged shoulder blades poking out above it. Then, all of a sudden, it began to bound away.

"Wait! Hold on! What are you doing in these tunnels?" asked Gorsekit desperately as she scrambled to keep up in the tight tunnels. She was once again showered in loose soil, however this time the chunks were noticeably larger. Gorsekit didn't pay heed though. These tunnels were weird enough. _Why was there another cat down here? And how did it even survive here, with nothing to eat or drink?_ Questions raced through her head as she moved as quickly as she could in a crouch.

Then she felt it. A huge chunk of dirt hit her on the head causing her to back off from the chase. But all around her, the tight passages were collapsing, caused by being disturbed after moons of seclusion. She desperately tried to turn around in the tight tunnels, but between the confining tunnels and the increasing amount of falling dirt, she couldn't. _Am I going to die like this? Buried alive?_ She felt a strong bite on her scruff, before being dragged backward. _Did that tunnel cat get behind me? Is it rescuing me?_ She pushed with her hind legs to try to help her rescuer pull her out. More and more dirt kept falling on her though, and since she couldn't turn around, she couldn't see how close they were to the exit.

By now, the dirt was almost up to her chest, she had no idea how her rescuer could still even move in the falling soil. Then it was up to her neck, then her muzzle, and then her eyes. She was suffocating! Panicking she flailed all of her limbs in a desperate attempt to free herself. But as quickly as the tunnels starting collapsing, she was pulled out of them, falling back into the familiar open cove.

"Gorsekit! You could have died!" she heard Rabbitpaw's worried mew as she quickly padded over to her. She saw Vinepaw get up and shake his pelt out of all the dirt that had collected on him.

"Are you okay?" Vinepaw asked worriedly between gasps of breath. She hadn't been rescued by the tunnel cat after all. Just good old Vinepaw.

"How did you manage to get me?" she asked, in relief but also partly in amazement.

"Rabbitpaw saw you vanish into the tunnels and told me to go after you in case something happened," he explained, "and something happened, didn't it?" Gorsekit gave him a relieved smile, which he returned with a toothy grin.

"You should have stayed with us, you could have died!" continued Rabbitpaw anxiously as she padded around her, like a worried mother checking out her kit.

"We should probably start heading back now, Eaglebreeze might start to suspect we are doing something else if we stay any longer," added Vinepaw, a unanimous decision. Gorsekit fluffed the dirt out of her poofy grey fur, before following the apprentices back towards the entrance of the badger set. As they climbed out of the hole and began to make their way back, she could help but wonder who the mysterious tunnel cat was. They made their way back up the hill they had gone down and towards the camp. She wondered if she would have to go back through dirt place again to get back into camp.

"Gorsekit, you might want to sneak back through where you came from so others won't think something happened. We'll go catch something really quick so it looks like we brought back the prey we went to go fetch," commanded Rabbitpaw.

"I don't think anyone is going to sneak through anywhere. And you two certainly won't be going out to catch prey." a gruff mew sounded suddenly behind them. The trio spun around to face the furious faces of Oakfur and Eaglebreeze, their mentors. Gorsekit heard Rabbitpaw let out a small wheeze of fear and she saw Vinepaw freeze.

"Gorsekit, run back to Goldenwhisker, she is worried to death about you. Vinepaw, Rabbitpaw, come with me. We are going to have a lengthy discussion about your . . . actions today." He flicked his tail as he turned around, gesturing for the apprentices to follow them. Rabbitpaw looked like she had seen a ghost, while Vinepaw turned around towards her.

"We'll talk later." was all he said before he mutely followed their mentors away. Gorsekit obediently went towards the nursery, towards a Goldenwhisker that looked like she was about to skin her. Brackenkit sat behind her, looking with worried round eyes.

"GORSEKIT! I am absolutely furious with you! You could have died! Some big animal could have eaten you. What if a fox came? Oh StarClan, you would have been torn apart so fast! What if you fell and hurt yourself? You are in so much trouble you'd be lucky if Swallowstar ever considers making you an apprentice at all after what you did today. That's if she ever even makes you one at all! You are not-" Gorsekit drowned her out. Whenever she did anything that got her in trouble, her mother always responded in the same way. Then after a while, they'd makeup and all would be good again. Now she just had to wait until she cooled off a little.

"-and I'm forbidding you from leaving the nursery for a moon! I don't care if it holds up your apprentice ceremony, you need to learn your lesson!" alright, that was definitely unexpected. Her mother had never punished her for anything she had done before.

"A moon? You can't do that! I'm practically six moons old now, and if you do that I'll end up being seven moons old when the ceremony happens! That's not fair!" Gorsekit protested indignantly, but Goldenwhisker had heard enough.

"You want to be an apprentice so bad? Fine! I'll get Cloudwhisper to give you some apprentice duties, see how you like it then." she turned around before Gorsekit could respond and padded over to light grey she-cat, and began discussing something with her.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." she heard a quiet mew behind her and turned around to face Brackenkit, who gave Gorsekit a shy smile. Gorsekit gave her an appreciative nuzzle. She saw Goldenwhisker returning and turned to receive the news.

"Alright, Cloudwhisper says you'll have to help the apprentices change Ivyflame's old moss bedding, as well as do what he what he tells you to do." she mewed, though her tone was no longer as fierce as it was earlier. Gorsekit could tell her mother wasn't as angry as before. Everyone knew how easy it was to get along with Ivyflame. The elder never asked for anything, always insisting he'd do it himself, otherwise, he would 'definitely become old'. And his stories of ages past were always exciting and vibrant, so much so that even some younger warriors stayed with the apprentices to listen to them, and some older warriors would listen in so that one day when they were elders, they would be able to tell those stories too.

"Right now?" Gorsekit mewed, trying to mask her excitement. Brackenkit looked mutedly eager as well.

"Right now," said Goldenwhisker, before shooing her away with her tail. Punishment forgotten.


	4. Chapter 3 - Revised

**[Revised 1/28/19]:** Simple grammar and rewording changes.

 **[Original A/N]:** Hi again. Holy crap I am like three days late on this one. Between being busy and sending it to my editor late, it ended up being delayed for way longer than expected. I will try my hardest to release chapter 4 on time. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

With Brackenkit in tow, Gorsepaw padded towards the elder's den. Ivyflame was the only elder left in Thunderclan at the moment. His mate, Mistdawn had died many moons ago from Greencough. As a result, he had been left all alone by himself in the elder's den. As she padded into the elder's den, she saw Ivyflame lift his dark scruffy head and look his visitors.

"Hello, have you kits come for something?" he questioned, albeit with a friendly tone.

"We were tol-I was told to come to help you with anything you needed, Brackenkit is just here for a story." Gorsekit mewed, she was pretty sure that Ivyflame would just tell her he didn't need anything and then tell them a story.

"How nice of you! Well, I don't need anything right now, but if you want to stay with Brackenkit, I'm sure I could tell you both a story you've never heard before." _As expected of Ivyflame._ Gorsekit answered by flopping onto an empty moss nest nearby, before scooting over to make room for her sister.

"How about I tell you about Foxstar and the battle against the City cats?" Ivyflame suggested. Gorsekit had heard of the City cats before. They were a large group of cats that came from the Twoleg nests past the Thunderpath, who had come and challenged the clans to their territory. Not much is known about them anymore, although a bunch of City cats that sympathized with the clans settled in a nearby barn after the war, they were friends with WindClan.

"Foxstar was the leader of Thunderclan before Swallowstar. He is the father of Blazepelt and Sunfur, and the grandfather of Tigerstreak." Gorsekit curled her lip in disgust at the name, but Ivyflame didn't seem to notice.

"He was the one that ended up establishing the friendly relations we enjoy today with WindClan. He had fallen in love with their previous leader Willowstar. The two eventually realized that it would have been impossible for anything to come out of it, as they were both deputies at the time, but their good relationship never changed." he continued.

"Anyways, WindClan had sent a runner to ThunderClan asking for help against the City invaders. The City cats had already conquered RiverClan territory, and it seemed that they were about to conquer WindClan next. Foxstar, deciding that he would not let his allies fall, quickly brought along a large patrol out to go aid the fighting cats." Blackeye, one of the newer warriors, poked his head into the den with interest, before coming in and settling next to the kits.

"By the time they got there, the WindClan cats were almost beaten. But seeing the reinforcements boosted their moral significantly. However, they were still outnumbered nearly two to one. Foxstar, especially back then when he was still young, was this enormous cat. He really was almost the size of a fox. By himself, he took on four City cats at once and sent them running all with their tails between their legs. Then he proceeded to fight even more! However, the City cats managed to turn the fight back towards their favor, Foxstar decided he would go challenge the what the City cats called their deputy. And apparently, from what I've heard from cats actually there, with just one powerful swipe, he slammed their deputy into a tree and killed him."

"Aren't Warriors not supposed to kill in battle?" asked Brackenkit quietly.

"They aren't, but Foxstar wasn't even trying to kill him. His swipe was just that powerful. Seeing that the leader of that battle had been beaten, the City cats practically evaporated in an instant, scattering and running in all directions. But after the battle, the Clan cats found many City cats that had been too injured in the battle to run away and took them as prisoners. The medicine cats were told to treat them like they would treat their clanmates, which is why these cats would eventually become Clan sympathizers after they realized that the Clan cats weren't all that bad." he concluded. After he finished, Ivyflame was silent for a moment, as if he was remembering something long past, but he quickly snapped out of it.

There was no immediate response to the end of the story. Brackenkit and Gorsekit were both entranced with wide eyes looking at Ivyflame, while Blackeye smiled before shaking himself off and exiting the den. Finally, Gorsekit broke the silence.

"Did we ever fight the City cats again after that?" she asked. "Surely we beat them right?"

"Unfortunately not, but there were several bigger battles after that. Although most of the fights in the war were actually just small-scale patrol skirmishes. Although at the end there was one final collected effort by all four clans united to siege on RiverClan and retake the lost territory. We won that." he mewed, obviously quite satisfied by the memory. Gorsekit figured he was probably important in that battle or something.

"Anyways, would you mind fetching me some wet moss? My throat is parched," he mewed, croaking on purpose to emphasize himself.

"Right away!" Gorsekit scrambled up, and with Brackenkit in tow and rushed towards the medicine cat's den. As she entered, she saw Sunfur washing in a corner, while Pigeonpaw was tidying herbs into neat little mounds.

"Hi, Gorsekit! Do you guys need something?" questioned Pigeonpaw.

"Yeah, Ivyflame just finished telling us a story, and he asked for some wet moss because he was thirsty."

"What story?" asked Sunfur from the corner, still grooming himself.

"About Foxstar and WindClan, and the fight against the City cats," replied Gorsekit. Sunfur simply chuckled and resumed his washing.

"Here's the moss. I brought a dollop of honey as well, Ivyflame had mentioned his throat was still sore from the Whitecough."

"Thanks, Pigeonpaw," mewed Gorsekit as she shuffled up the moss. She picked up the wet moss while Brackenkit helped pick up the honey moss. "Oh, and could we have some moss bedding later? I was told to help Ivyflame change that out as well." Gorsekit quickly added.

"Sure thing, I'll go fetch some after I finish organizing these herbs. Just come collect it later," mewed Pigeonpaw, before she resumed organizing her herbs again. On the way back to the elder's den, Gorsekit noticed Swallowstar, Cloudwhisper, and a bunch of warriors in a circle discussing something quietly. She wondered what it could be but quickly chalked it off as just some Warrior business that always seemed to be going on. As they neared the elder's den, she saw Ivyflame outside and watched as he arched his back in a stretch before leaping up in the air. As he landed he pushed off with his two right limbs and launched himself left before giving a powerful swipe into the air, claws sheathed.

"Still got it," he mused as the kits approached him.

"Were you good at fighting back when Foxstar was still alive?" Brackenkit asked quietly from behind Gorsekit.

"First of all, it's not all about being good at fighting," lectured Ivyflame commandingly, "although I will admit I certainly wasn't the worst." he ended well humorously. "Is that moss and honey for me?"

"Yeah, Pigeonpaw said you had told her about a sore throat, so she gave you a bit of honey for that. And we are about to go back to fetch your clean bedding." After dropping off the honey and the water, she quickly ran back to the medicine den and picked up the fresh bedding. There was more than she expected, so she dropped a large piece for Brackenkit to pick up. There was so much moss that she could barely breathe, so she quickly hurried towards the elder's den. By the time she reached it, she was almost out of breath, so rather than bringing it inside, she dropped it right outside.

"You two kits are so sweet! Thank you." he mewed appreciatively, taking the bedding in his mouth and bringing it back inside. "Since you two have been such good listeners, why don't you go run along and get something to share? It's getting late and I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you up all night listening to my pointless stories."

"They aren't pointless! We love your stories and I'm not hungry!" protested Gorsekit, although she was contradicted by a guttural growl of her stomach. Ivyflame simply looked at her in amusement before pushing her along towards the fresh-kill pile.

After sharing a plump looking vole with Brackenkit, the two kits headed back towards the nursery. Goldenwhisker greeted them both affectionately with licks.

"Did you two learn anything?" inquired their mother. Brackenkit responded with a jaw-stretching yawn.

"Ivyflame taught us about Foxstar, and we helped fetch moss and water for him."

"Foxstar . . . I remember hearing about all the things he did when I was a kit as well. He never ceased to amaze me. I've always wanted to meet him face to face. Anyways, did you learn your lesson Gorsekit?" Gorsekit nodded furiously. "Good, then I'll forgive the punishment of not leaving the den then" her mother added, a sparkle in her eye.

"Really? Does that mean I'll get to become an apprentice on time?" Gorsekit asked.

"Sure does. Speaking of that, Cloudwhisper told me that Swallowstar is considering making you two apprentices in a couple sunrises. So, you better be on the best of behavior!" chided her mother good-naturedly. "Now come along, it's getting late." Gorsekit bounded to her nest and curled up, Brackenkit came up next to her and curled beside her.

Her mind was racing. She was becoming an apprentice soon! And that means she'll get to learn warrior moves and how to hunt and how to sneak stealthily and the territory. She was so excited that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to fall asleep.

Seconds later, she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hi again, holy crap I don't think I am capable of getting these out in time. Big thanks to Ratpaw, Antjaw, and Tawny. Enjoy.**

Chapter 4

The next two days were agony. The first day she tried to kill time by practicing the move Vinepaw had showed her. The second day, it rained day so she just sat with Ivyflame all day listening to stories

She had specifically requested more stories of Foxstar. After all, even her mother looked up to him! Ivyflame had told them about the time that he and Rosepetal got trapped underground during a snowstorm, and how he nearly starved to death because he had given all the prey he managed to catch to Rosepetal because she was nursing a leg and head injury. And another story about how ThunderClan and WindClan went to war against RiverClan and ShadowClan, and how the war eventually resolved because of an incredibly long drought. It amazed Gorsekit to no end how the other Clans would plan their strategies around whether or not Foxstar would be taking part of that battle.

Now the sun was rising on the third day, and she was almost certain that today was the day she would be named an apprentice. She had heard her father talking to Cloudwhisper about who her potential mentor was. Cloudwhisper said that it was probably either going to be Tigerstreak or Blackeye, as they both were newer warriors who had never taken an apprentice before. Gorsekit had hoped with all her might that whoever it was, it wasn't Tigerstreak. The way he acted so stuck up about everything made her want to bite off the end of his tail.

"Hey Gorsekit! Want to play a game? Rabbitpaw just found the biggest feather I've ever seen." Vinepaw's voice broke her from her thoughts. Goldenwhisker would always protest whenever Vinepaw entered the nursery, but now she just watched with an amused look.

"Sure thing." Gorsekit followed Vinepaw out of the nursery towards a waiting Rabbitpaw. When she finally got there, he was greeted by what might possibly be the largest feather in existence.

"What is that thing?" mewed Gorsekit curiously as she cautiously dabbed a paw at it.

"I don't know, but imagine how big the bird is if its feathers are already this big!" mewed Rabbitpaw excitedly. The feather was longer than Gorsekit was, from the tip of her tail to the edge of her muzzle.

"Can you even lift it?"

"Sure! Watch this." Vinepaw lifted one end with his nose, suddenly hooking the base of the feather with his claw and jumping. The feather was lifted with a upwards jerk and flew into the air.

"Now we just try to keep it up in the air as long as possible!" mewed Rabbitpaw to Gorsekit before giving a great leap upwards. Her head bumped against the soft part of the feather, pushing it up again.

"Can I try?" mewed Gorsekit, now excited. Without waiting for an answer, she leapt up towards the feather as she had watched Rabbitpaw do. However, she had over shot her leap, causing her to twist awkwardly in the air, missing the feather, and landing rather ungratefully on three paws.

"You're such a dunce," teased Vinepaw before leaping up and bouncing the feather back into the air again. This game of keeping the feather up continued for a dozen more headbutts before they were interrupted by Cloudwhisper padding over.

"Gorsekit, go fetch your sister." was all she said before leaving.

"Huh, weird. Maybe she needs you for something? Did you get in trouble again?" questioned Rabbitpaw. But Gorsekit knew exactly what this was for.

"I'm going to become an apprentice today! I'm certain once I call Brackenkit over they'll announce the ceremony. Just watch!" responded Gorsekit excitedly as she hurried over to the nursery. Poking her head in, Gorsekit saw Brackenkit batting the moss ball against the wall over and over, almost rhythmically.

"Brackenkit!" she exclaimed loudly, "Cloudwhisper wants to see us." She saw Brackenkit's eyes slowly widen as she realized what was about to happen. Normally, Brackenkit walked at a slow careful pace, however this time, she bounded over in a couple of leaps. The two kits began to make their way to Cloudwhisper, who was standing next to Swallowstar. After they drew close, Cloudwhisper mumbled something and nodded, before walking off.

"Are you two ready?" asked Swallowstar, both of them nodded. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. Goldenwhisker was rushing over to them, and as soon as she reached Gorsekit, she covered her in licks to groom her fur.

"There is no way I am letting you two become apprentices until you both look acceptable!" said Goldenwhisker between licks, Gorsekit thought she had already looked plenty acceptable, but she knew that if she didn't let her mother fuss over her, she'd never become an apprentice. After she finished grooming Gorsekit, she quickly turned her attention towards Brackenkit.

"Gorsekit you should be more like your sister, look at how well-kept she already is." chided Goldenwhisker, before backing off to join Cloudwhisper. After watching that entire thing unfold with a smile, Swallowstar hopped onto the rock ledge and beckoned for the kits to head up.

Gorsekit was practically exploding with excitement at this point. As she reached the back of the rock ledge, she saw Swallowstar step forward.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here!" she yowled. Heads popped out of dens while others standing around began to gather beneath the Highledge. After waiting for a couple moments for everyone to arrive, Swallowstar continued. "I'm happy to announce that two of our own are old enough to receive their apprentice names." She then turned to face Gorsekit.

"Gorsekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From today on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Gorsepaw. Your mentor will be Blackeye. I hope that he will pass down all that he has learned to you." She then turned to face Blackeye as he climbed up onto the rock ledge.

"Blackeye, you are ready to take an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Creekripple, and you have shown yourself to be tenacious and fierce. You will be the mentor of Gorsepaw, I'm sure you two will do great together." Gorsepaw breathed a sigh of relief when Tigerstreak's name wasn't called. However, this meant that Brackenpaw was most likely going to. Blackeye came over to her and the two bumped noses.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to be the best mentor ever." whispered Blackeye under his breath.

"I bet you will be," responded Gorsepaw. As mentor and apprentice started making their way off of Highledge, Sparrowstar turned towards Brackenkit.

"Brackenkit, you also have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed as well. From now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Brackenpaw. Your mentor will be Tigerstreak. I hope that he will teach you all that he knows." Once again, she then turned to Tigerstreak.

"Tigerstreak, you are ready to take an apprentice as well. You have received excellent training from Grassnose, and you have proven yourself to be powerful and cunning. You will mentor Brackenpaw, perhaps you can give her some of your energy." Brackenpaw craned her neck to touch noses with Tigerstreak. Gorsekit saw him whisper something but couldn't quite make out what.

"Gorsepaw! Brackenpaw! Gorsepaw! Brackenpaw!" yowled the Clan in agreement, causing Gorsepaw to slightly dip her head in embarrassment. After a couple more moments, the clan began to disperse.

"Congratulations Gorsepaw!" said Rabbitpaw and Vinepaw in unison as they hurried over.  
"You too Brackenpaw," added Rabbitpaw, causing her to give a slight smile.

"Now we can all go out and train together!" chirped Vinepaw happily.

"What ended up being your punishment?" asked Gorsepaw.

"Oh, Eaglebreeze told us that we have to help the medicine cats gather herbs and help change the nursery's old bedding. Guess they didn't realize that the nursery would now be empty and Pigeonpaw does most of the gathering anyways."

"Gorsepaw! Brackenpaw! Come here!" Tigerstreak yowled from the clearing they'd been standing in a few moments ago. Gorsepaw turned and breathed a quick goodbye before bounding over. "We are going to be doing a quick tour of the territory before Sundown." he said once both had arrived. Gorsepaw was excited but couldn't keep the smug grin off her face at the fact that she had already seen part of the territory. Brackenpaw simply dipped her head respectfully.

The two mentors began to make their way out of the camp with their apprentices in tow. After a bit of walking, they came to a mossy hollow half hidden in the forest.

"This is the clearing, it's where we will do most of our battle training." mewed Tigerstreak briefly. More walking led them to an enormous tree, possibly the biggest tree that Gorsekit had ever seen in her life. She saw a squirrel explode out of a nearby bush as they arrived and scamper up the huge trunk of the tree.

"This is the Sky Oak. It can be good for hunting, especially on days like this. We will come here tomorrow so that you two can get started with your hunter's crouch." said Tigerstreak again. Gorsepaw noticed that so far, Blackeye had yet to say a word. After they moved on, they visited a couple more noteworthy spots, an old thunderpath and rundown twoleg nest. Finally, they arrived at a river.

"Taste the air, both of you. What can you tell?" commanded Tigerstreak,

"It's kind of like thistles and muck," observed Gorsepaw.

"Well, that is ShadowClan's scent. Remember it well. Although I will say that description is not too far off the truth," spoke Blackeye, the first thing he had said all day. After visiting the lake shore, the four finally arrived at a thinning in the forest.

"Taste the air again," commanded Tigerstreak again. This time however, it was Brackenpaw that responded.

"It's . . . it's a bit like very crisp wind and bushes." she observed.

"Good, that's WindClan's scent and border. You can tell you've arrived if the forest begins to thin out. However, you should smell it before you see it." observed Blackeye. "We should probably start heading back now. It's fine if you two can't remember all we saw today. We are going to be seeing these same places a lot more in the future."

By the time they arrived back at camp, the sun had already dipped below the cliffs of camp, casting a dark shadow over everything. They all grabbed a piece of fresh kill from the pile before retreating back to their dens. Gorsepaw instinctively headed for the nursery before realizing she got to sleep in the apprentice den.

When they poked their head in, she saw Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw in the corner. Vinepaw opened one eye and looked at her. When he saw who it was, he give her a smile.

"How'd it go?"

"It went great! ThunderClan territory is so large," replied Gorsepaw with a yawn. She saw Vinepaw get up and come over to her.

"Hey, can I sleep here?" he mewed slightly abashedly. Gorsepaw realized where he was implying, in the nest next to hers. She felt her pelt prickle, though it wasn't a bad feeling at all.

". . . Sure," she replied after a moment, Vinepaw curled up in the nest and closed his eyes and Gorsepaw caught Rabbitpaw smirking at them both before curling up. Brackenpaw, having her nest taken by Vinepaw, simply chose a nest near Rabbitpaw instead and went to sleep. Gorsepaw could feel Vinepaw's warmth radiating near her. This wasn't that bad actually.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi again, sorry for being extra late, I'm currently on vacation and don't have much time. Edited by just myself this time, so I apologize in advance if there are some pacing issues or grammatical errors. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5

The morning dew sat on the blades of grass peaceful, undisturbed, gently blown back and forth in the crisp New-leaf wind. The forest rested silently. In the distance were the quick approaching steps of some creature. All of a sudden, the clearing exploded with an apprentice sprinting after a squirrel.

"No, Brackenpaw, instead of running towards the prey after you get close, you have to leap!" scolded Tigerstreak. "That way, the prey won't have a chance to realize what is happening before you get to it." The squirrel had unfortunately managed to escape safely up the tree.

"Alright, I understand." mewed Brackenpaw softly. After standing still for a couple of moments, she managed to catch the sound of a squirrel softly cracking a shell. Her ears flicked towards the noise and she got into a crouch.

"Good form, but tuck your front paws in." whispered Tigerstreak as Brackenpaw stalked forward. After waiting for a moment, she pushed off with her hind legs but she had overshot, missing the squirrel by only a hair. The squirrel quickly scampered away.

"Good attempt," said Tigerstreak, Gorsepaw was surprised by how mellow that reaction was when she was sure he would have been irritated.

"Gorsepaw, you try next," mewed Blackeye from next to Tigerstreak. Obediently, Gorsepaw padded forward towards the tree, and stood still. Almost immediately, she heard a squirrel in the underbrush, scrabbling on something. It was wonder it was still there, considering how much of a ruckus Brackenpaw had just made trying to catch that squirrel only a couple fox-lengths away. She dropped down into a crouch, it felt natural to her to stalk forward, belly brushing the soft forest floor. Once she got into range, she quickly leapt, her hind legs propelling her towards the squirrel. The squirrel looked up in terror and began to run but was immediately killed by a fast nip to the neck, a perfect hunt.

"Good job!" purred Blackeye happily, "that was perfect!"

"Almost, Gorsepaw, you need keep your head lower when you crouch, pay more attention next time when we are demonstrating," corrected Tigerstreak. Gorsepaw rolled her eyes but didn't say anything in response.

"Usually when you are on a hunting patrol, you bury the prey in order to collect it later," taught Blackeye, Gorsepaw quickly dug up a small hole and placed the squirrel inside before brushing loose dirt over with her paw to cover it up.

"Come on, let's go to another spot and try again," commanded Tigerstreak before leading the way through the forest. They hadn't gotten too far from where they just were, when Gorsepaw suddenly noticed small cracking noises in a nearby bush.

"There's a mouse in there," she mewed under her breath.

"Catch it then," challenged Tigerstreak. Watch me! She thought as she dropped into a crouch and stalked forward, as she parted the bush, she saw that there were actually two mice, both working on a pile of smell shells. How was she going to catch both? She stood to think for a moment. If she went for one mouse, the other would surely get away. And she wasn't letting the opportunity of shocking Tigerstreak to get away. That would definitely show him.

After a moment more, she leapt. Landing on the first mouse, she immediately killed it with a swift bite. As she expected, the other mouse quickly began scampering away. Using her two right limbs, she used the move she had learned from Vinepaw and pushed herself sideways, right on top of the escaping mouse. After killing it, she went back and retrieved the first mouse and came out of the bush proudly carrying the two catches.

"Two? How . . .?" Blackeye mewed surprisedly. Even Tigerstreak couldn't help but look slightly impressed, though he quickly wiped the look off his face.

"Wow Gorsepaw, you're so good at this," mewed Brackenpaw, Gorsepaw couldn't help but feel slightly proud at her sister's praise. After a few more hunting attempts by Brackenpaw, she eventually managed to catch a shrew as well.

"Good job you two," mewed Blackeye, "we can head back to the camp now, training is over for today. Once you two get back I want you two to bring one to Ivyflame, and then add the rest to the fresh kill pile."

Gorsepaw stumbled into the camp, her three catches all hanging heavily in her mouth. She dropped all three into the pile while Brackenpaw brought her catch to Ivyflame.

"Three? On your first trip? Wow, good job Gorsepaw." mewed Brighteye as she came over. She spotted Oakfur eyeing her proudly and couldn't help but dip her head in embarrassment. As she brought a piece towards the apprentice den, she spotted Vinepaw standing idly near the entrance. She had no idea what drove her to ask, but maybe it was him asking to sleep next to her yesterday. It still seemed very strange to her though.

"Hey Vinepaw, want to share?" she mewed, Vinepaw looked up in surprise but quickly grinned at her.

"Sure!" she couldn't help but like Vinepaw's a little, she shook her head. Stop being so weird! Once the two finished the squirrel, Vinepaw spoke up.

"I heard you caught two mice at the same time today, that's pretty impressive!" mewed Vinepaw cheerfully as he cleaned his paws.

"Oh it wasn't that impressive, besides, I used that move you taught me, so technically some credit is yours too." mewed Gorsepaw humbly.

"Shush, take the praise when you deserve it," mewed Vinepaw with a laugh as he nudged her with his shoulder. Gorsepaw stuck her tongue out at him and batted at his ears to which he quickly jumped away. As she went into the apprentice's den, she saw Brackenkit and Rabbitpaw talking about something and looking at them every so often. At least Brackenkit was making friends. Vinepaw slept next to her again, not that she minded.

o-o-o

Today was their eighth day training. Gorsepaw kept track. Blackeye had told her that they were going to do solo training today because she really didn't need any more practice with hunting.

"I'm going to start teaching you some basic warrior moves early," he had explained. "I can tell you have the physique of a warrior, and I want to get a head start on that." Once they had arrived at the familiar clearing, Blackeye proceeded to begin demonstrating several fundamental moves. First off was the swipe. Gorsepaw wasn't sure why she needed to learn this at all when surely any cat could do this naturally. However, she didn't argue and complied. Blackeye demonstrated before letting her try, she tried imitating Blackeye and swiped as fast as she could.

"Good power, but try to keep your claws angled lower, that way there is more force," he corrected, before letting her try again. Several tries later, Blackeye seemed content and moved on to the leap, but not just any leap. This was specifically for leaping onto enemies. It involved a more vertical hop rather than a forward movement. Blackeye demonstrated first.

Using his hind legs, he reared back and pushed up, Gorsepaw pretty amazed at just how high he got. As he leapt up, he stretched out his front paws and arched his back so that when he landed, he naturally grasped onto the ground.

"Now you try." Gorsepaw tried to imitate him but couldn't get anywhere close to the height he had reached. Her leap was more akin to a hop in her opinion. Once she landed, she looked at Blackeye afraid he would be disappointed.

"You have to use the back part of your paws to push up, that way the strength is in your legs and not in your paws," he explained. He hadn't seemed disappointed at all. Energized, Gorsepaw tried to transfer the weight to her back but just fell over instead. Blackeye, chuckling, nudged her up and demonstrated again . . .

o-o-o

By the time the two got back Gorsepaw was exhausted beyond belief. She had learned all five of the fundamental warrior moves, with Blackeye meticulously correcting each and every one until they were all perfect. Each step she took felt like she was carrying a badger on her back as she trudged tiredly towards the fresh kill pile and picked herself out a plump vole. As she began to go towards the apprentice's den, she saw Brackenpaw come towards her.

"Gorsepaw, guess what?" mewed Brackenpaw happily, "I caught something on my first try today." Gorsepaw was amazed, Brackenpaw had never spoke to her this openly before. Perhaps Rabbitpaw had really opened her up more.

"Congratulations," purred Gorsepaw between her vole, "are you starting battle moves then?"

"Yeah, Tigerstreak said that we can start battle moves in two sunrises because he wants to give me a bit more time to perfect my hunting." Gorsepaw couldn't help but feel a little pride. Surely if her sister kept this up, Gorsepaw would end up becoming a better warrior than her! She quickly shook the thought out of her head. Why was she competing with her sister? As she went into the den, she saw Vinepaw already curled up in his usual spot in the moss nest. Ever since the first day that he had asked, they had been sleeping next to each other. At first, she had thought it was really weird. But after a while, it had become pretty natural. It even felt weird not to have him around, as was felt three sunrises ago when he came back late. Besides, Vinepaw was a fun cat to be around, and they were good friends.

After she had finished her vole, she settled down next to him. He began purring, after a moment, she purred back.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi! After coming home from my vacation overseas I was just too jetlagged and tired to do anything. After taking a break I finally managed to wrap this up. I'm hopefully getting back writing again soon. Chapter 8 is in the works but not completed yet. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 6

By now, things had fallen into a bit of routine for Gorsepaw. She would wake up every morning, get fresh kill, meet up with Blackeye to discuss what they were training today, go training, come back exhausted, get fresh kill, go to sleep. It had been nearly a moon of training and Gorsepaw was starting to feel pretty confident in her skills. She had been successful with hunting from the start, but her battle moves were coming along nicely too. At least according to Blackeye. Brackenpaw had also gotten the hang of hunting and had even started battle moves.

This morning however, things had been different.

"You and Brackenpaw will be going on a border patrol today with Leaftail and Whitefoot. They will report back to us on how you two did, so think of it like a miniature assessment." Tigerstreak had told them. Gorsepaw was almost certain that Tigerstreak had probably just been too tired to do training today. She had saw him sneak out last night, but she held her tongue.

Now, as she was padding through the cool morning forest, she realized that she was actually extremely excited for this. The two warriors she was with, Leaftail and Whitefoot, were obviously mates. However, whether it was because they were embarrassed to show affection while in the presence of apprentices, or for some other reason, they were keeping their distance with each other.

"We'll head to WindClan's border first," mewed Whitefoot, "can you remember where it is?" Surprisingly enough, it was Brackenpaw who spoke up.

"I can lead the way," she announced, and after making sure everyone was following, began to make her way towards the border. As they were following her, Gorsepaw suddenly caught the scent of a vole, probably behind one of the trees. She lightly padded around the tree where she thought it was, and saw it nibbling on an acorn. Getting into a crouch, she stalked forward several steps, before springing. The vole tried to dash away, but was quickly caught and killed. Gorsepaw thanked StarClan like Blackeye had told her to do so, before bringing it back to the group.

"Good catch!" purred Leaftail, "if you're hungry, you can eat it now. It's fine to eat your catches

if you're on a patrol." Gorsepaw didn't even answer, she just bent down and quickly scarfed down the entire vole. Whitefoot chuckled while watching her devour the vole. As they approached the WindClan and ThunderClan border, Whitefoot spoke up.

"Have you two marked the border before?" asked Whitefoot. Both of them shook their heads. "Well, why don't you do it this time then? It'll be a good learning experience as well. Here, let me show you where the border is exactly." He padded up to an area between two saplings. "This is the part of the border we refresh on morning patrols. The other half is refreshed in evening patrols."

Once they had marked the border, the group turned and began to move through the forest towards the shore, once they had arrived, they followed along the shoreline until they began nearing the familiar pine tree border.

"Why is the ShadowClan scent so far from the border," wondered Leaftail. "We aren't even there yet, but the scent is already so strong here." As they continued further towards they began to hear voices.

"Bring as much prey as you can, and hurry."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Fernstar said so, besides if any ThunderClan show up, we'll just run."

Leaftail and Whitefoot acted immediately, both immediately rushing through the underbrush into the clearing, seeing as they had no choice, the two apprentices followed as well. They were met by three ShadowClan cats, on the floor was a small pile of fresh kill.

"Prey stealers!" yowled Whitefoot and leapt at the nearest of the three ShadowClan cats. They tumbled and it ended with Whitefoot on top. All of a sudden, there was an explosion of fur as the three ShadowClan cats jumped into the fight against Leaftail and Whitefoot. Although they outnumbered ShadowClan, they were two apprentices against a full grown warrior, Gorsepaw wasn't sure if this was a good idea. But they had to try!

"Brackenpaw, swipe his hind legs and I'll distract him!" she said, and not waiting for a response, jumped towards a gray tom. The tom turned around to face Gorsepaw.

"Foolish apprentice, you think you challenge a warrior?" he hissed in her face and leapt with forepaws stretched, claws unsheathed. Thinking fast, Gorsepaw sidestepped to the right to dodge the leap, however his larger size and longer limbs allowed him to catch her, causing her to go tumbling. The tom quickly recovered and pounced onto her. He looked menacingly at her and began to slash at her soft underbelly. However, as soon as he lifted a paw, he yowled and spun around. Brackenpaw! Gorsepaw saw long scores of claw marks covering his hind legs.

As soon as he turned around, Gorsepaw pushed up and crashed into him, pummeling his chest with her paws. Everytime he tried to face Gorsepaw, Brackenpaw would scratch at his hind legs, and everytime he turned to face Brackenpaw, Gorsepaw would knock him off balance by charging into him. However, although they were hurting him, he wasn't close to backing down. Gorsepaw looked to her left and saw a she-cat pinned under Whitefoot. He swung a paw at her belly causing her to yowl with pain and run off. The two toms, seeing that they were most likely beaten, ran off as well, leaving the prey in the clearing.

Leaftail stumbled over to them after a moment, she had a long scratch above her closed eye, as well as another long scratch down her back. Blood streamed down her face from the wound. Whitefoot wasn't fairing much better, several claw marks scored across his belly causing blood to drip from him as he walked. Gorsepaw and Brackenpaw were almost unharmed however.

"Good fighting out there apprentices," praised Whitetail with a throaty purr, "we should probably bring this prey back considering they already caught it."

"Will you two be alright?" asked Brackenpaw worriedly. Gorsepaw couldn't help but feel surprised that Brackenpaw spoke so openly now, considering how reserved she was only a moon ago. She had no idea what Rabbitpaw did to her to get her to become like this.

"Don't worry, we'll manage." answered Leaftail as she picked up two pieces of fresh kill in her mouth. "Here, come take a few as well." Gorsepaw padded over and picked up a mouse and a thrush, and the group began to make their way back to camp. Along the way, she saw Whitefoot wince whenever he put weight on his right paws, but it didn't seem to be scratched in any way. She wondered if he accidentally sprained it.

The four eventually returned to camp mouth laden with prey, yet battered and bruised. Pigeonpaw immediately rushed over and helped support Whitefoot, who seemed to have the worst of the injuries, into the medicine den. After Leaftail dropped off the prey, she too went to go see Sunfur.

"What happened on the patrol?" asked Swallowstar as she quickly came over.

"We found three ShadowClan cats on our territory, I think Fernstar told them to steal prey from us," answered Gorsepaw, she was beginning to feel quite lucky that she had managed to escape that fight without getting hurt at all.

"How can you be sure it was Fernstar who told them to?" questioned Sparrowstar, "that's a severe accusation you are making."

"We overheard one of the cats talking about it, you can ask Leaftail or Whitefoot the same thing, they'll tell you." Sparrowstar thought for a moment, but she seemed content with the answer.

"Thank you for the information Gorsepaw, you did good," she mewed before briskly heading towards the medicine cat's den. Gorsepaw couldn't help but smile at being praised by her leader. As she turned towards the fresh kill pile, she saw Blackeye approaching her.

"Gorsepaw! Are you alright? Whitefoot told me all about it, he said that you and Brackenpaw fought a full grown warrior by yourselves!" he mewed all at once.

"Yeah, Brackenpaw and I worked very well together," she purred, Brackenpaw looked down at the ground.

"I'll tell Tigerstreak all about it when he gets back," he purred back. "No more training today, go take a break, you two deserve it." As he was about to turn and go, he quickly turned around and added, "oh, and Vinepaw really wanted to see you today, he told me to let you know if you got back before him," he mewed with a wink before walking away. Gorsepaw felt her pelt prickle with that familiar feeling.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw had spent the rest of the day relaxing and sunning herself outside of the nursery. Her mother had freaked out about Brackenpaw and her getting into a fight, but was incredibly relieved when she found out none of them had even been scratched.  
"You should be happy you didn't get hurt, did you see what happened to Whitefoot? Poor cat."

"Yes mom, we were _there_ ," Gorsekit replied with a sniff.

"Don't get smart with me, you should be grateful you were with two such experienced warriors, Otherwise I couldn't imagine what would've happened." Gorsepaw opened her mouth to correct that they had taken down a full warrior _by themselves_ , but Goldenwhisker flicked her tail at her muzzle, silencing her. Gorsepaw let out a huff before being interrupted by a bouncier-than-normal Vinepaw.

"GORSEPAW! Oh StarClan I heard what happened today, I can't believe you got into a real fight before I did! How is that even fair? Was it intense?" he slammed her with questions.

"Hello to you too Vinepaw," Gorsepaw replied with a laugh, "are you jealous?"

"Of COURSE I am! I've been an apprentice for more moons than I can count, and the most exciting thing I've done so far is climb an extra large tree. In all seriousness, you are alright, right?"  
"I'm fine, and besides, Brackenpaw helped me out a lot too, without her, I don't think it would have gone as well as it did." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brackenpaw excitedly, or as excited as Brackenpaw was capable, telling Rabbitpaw about the fight.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here I found something while Oakfur and I were out." he turned around and dropped a small yellow flower in front of her. "It's gorse flower," he said with a smirk. Gorsepaw batted him on the muzzle.

"Now that was uncalled for," he hissed jokingly at her before bounding over to the fresh kill pile. Gorsepaw rolled her eyes at him, he was such a dork, but some part of her was really glad to have him as a friend. She picked up the gorse flower and went to her nest in the apprentice's den, and laid it down next to her. After all, she didn't want to lose it.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi again, whew this one took a while. I had to rewrite the last part several times. I'm still not happy with it but it's as good as it's going to get. Enjoy.**

 **johnzwis:** I think we'll have to wait and see about that ;)

Chapter 7

Gorsepaw woke to an incredibly annoying apprentice batting her on the head over and over.

"Wake up Gorsepaw, we are training together today!" chirped Vinepaw happily. He waited for a moment as to see her response before batting her head again.

"Ow, alright I'm getting up. Geez you can be such a nuisance," mewed Gorsepaw irritably. She arched her back and stretched. "Did you really have to wake me up like that?"

"Well I tried to tell you to wake up but you just ignored me and kept on sleeping."

"So your next conclusion was to hit me?"

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Vinepaw stuck his tongue out at her, "I'll be by the entrance. Brackenpaw and Rabbitpaw are both ready so hurry up," he added quickly before slinking out of the den. She was definitely going to claw his fur off she thought to herself with a huff. After quickly cleaning herself, she bounded out of the den and quickly headed over to the group.

"Look who showed up, glad you could make time for us today," mewed Tigerstreak with an annoyed look. Gorsepaw ignored him.

"We are going to be practicing group fighting today, very rarely will a warrior fight alone. You must understand how to utilize each other's strengths in a battle to secure a victory," explained Oakfur, "we will be heading to the usual clearing first. Once we finish training, we will go and mark the borders." After he finished, the group began to make their way out of the camp and towards the clearing.

As they were walking, Gorsepaw started daydreaming. She had never traveled with so many cats at once before. She thought about what would happen to those prey-stealing ShadowClan if they met them now. They would probably be torn apart before they even had a chance to realize what happened! She grinned, she could almost imagine their faces of terror. Once the group had all arrived, Eaglebreeze stepped forward and addressed them.

"Your mentors and I have discussed how we will be doing training today," he began. Gorsepaw couldn't help but notice Tigerstreak roll his eyes and Blackeye fidget slightly. She figured that they probably didn't an input into what they were doing at all. "Due to the fact that Rabbitpaw and Vinepaw have more experience than you two, I want you two to hold a mock battle with them. I don't expect you to win, but I want you to see the basics of group fighting." As soon as Vinepaw heard this, a devilish grin crossed his face.

"And remember, claws sheathed," mewed Blackeye as if he was trying to contribute in some way.

"Ah, of course. Thank you Blackeye for your input," mewed Eaglebreeze in response. Blackeye looked as if someone had clawed him on the muzzle and quickly shrunk to the back.

"Once one side wins, we will go over the battle and break apart your mistakes as well as explain the actions Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw performed. Now get ready," mewed Oakfur. Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw both quickly grouped together and faced Gorsepaw and her sister. Gorsepaw noticed that Vinepaw stood forward, while Rabbitpaw stood back near his flank. She glanced at Brackenpaw, she didn't look ready at all but nodded to Gorsepaw hesitantly

"Begin!" yowled Oakfur. Almost immediately, Vinepaw jumped forward. Brackenpaw shuffled to the left leaving Gorsepaw standing alone. Not wanting to seem scared, Gorsepaw leapt forward to meet him. She crashed into chest, causing both of them to tumble backwards. Gorsepaw scrambled up to her feet to face Vinepaw. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rabbitpaw bounding up to meet her.

Gorsepaw was trapped, if she moved back to avoid Rabbitpaw, Vinepaw would jump forward and tackle her. If she moved to the side to avoid Vinepaw, Rabbitpaw would reach her and probably lightly bat at her ears or something. Figuring having her ears ruffled was better than getting tackled full on, she swung her paw at Vinepaw. Just as Rabbitpaw was about to reach her, Brackenpaw jumped forward and knocked her off balance. Vinepaw had dodged her swipe and jumped forward to tackle her as she expected. He was probably trying to use his weight and size advantage to pin her.

Thinking fast, she quickly dropped into a crouch. Vinepaw had more than likely expected her to charge into him because he sailed right over her head. Using this opening, Gorsepaw kicked out with her hind legs, catching Gorsepaw in the rear, and flung him onto his back. Using this opportunity, she jumped onto him and reared her left paw back to bat at his belly. Just as she was about to swing, Oakfur yowled.

"Stop! The fight is over!"

Had they won? Was it because she managed to pin Vinepaw? She realized she didn't even know the rules to this fight.

"Vinepaw and Rabbitpaw win."

"What? But I managed to pin Vinepaw! Surely we won," mewed Gorsepaw in confusion.

"Mouse-brain! While you were busy fighting on your own, your sister Brackenpaw losing to Rabbitpaw! In a real battle, she could've died!" Eaglebreeze mewed angrily. Gorsepaw looked over to see Rabbitpaw sitting victoriously on top of Brackenpaw. Brackenpaw looked away ashamedly.

"But this is a mock battle, so the stakes aren't as high," mewed Tigerstreak from behind. Eaglebreeze glared at him but Tigerstreak held his stance confidently, as if to challenge him. "Brackenpaw fought well, but her enemy was stronger. In these situations, the safety of your clanmate is more important than winning a single fight," he continued, despite Eaglebreeze looking as if he was about to fight Tigerstreak himself.

"Gorsepaw, as you could see, when you attacked Vinepaw, Rabbitpaw quickly came to his aid. Although fighting Brackenpaw would've seemed like the better idea due to Rabbitpaw's larger size and experience, she chose to assist her clanmate first because he was in immediate danger from you," explained Oakfur, he didn't seem as bothered about Tigerstreak as Eaglebreeze did. "Sometimes, losing a single fight against another cat isn't important if the battle is won, especially with as few injuries as possible."

"Now that you know this, I want you to redo that battle once more."

o-o-o

The sun was starting to set by the time that they had finished. Gorsepaw flopped onto the forest floor in exhaustion. Every part of her body hurt. Although Rabbitpaw tried to be gentle when she attacked her, Vinepaw seemed to fight her as if she was an enemy, minus the claws.

"Good work apprentices. I think that's enough for today, you all can get some rest after we mark the borders," mewed Blackeye cautiously. Oakfur nodded in agreement which made Blackeye relax noticeably in relief.

"Good work you two, you did way better than I expected!" praised Rabbitpaw cheerfully. It felt like Rabbitpaw never tired at all.

"Thanks," mewed Gorsepaw completely drained , "I didn't know you two were such good fighters."

"Well I learned fast, considering how murderous Vinepaw is. I think you had a taste of that first hand."

"Is he always like that?" questioned Gorsepaw worriedly.

"Definitely, I'm always sore after training with him," answered Rabbitpaw.

"Vinepaw, come on. Let's go mark the borders," commanded Eaglebreeze.

"We'll come with you two," added Tigerstreak. Eaglebreeze raised an eyebrow at him, but strangely enough he relented. Gorsepaw wondered what happened between the two that would make them have such a strained relationship. She wondered if he would tell her if she asked him. As Vinepaw and Brackenpaw departed with their mentors, Rabbitpaw pushed Gorsepaw to her feet.

"Come on, let's go mark the borders. The quicker I can be in my den the better." The four of them began to make their way towards the ShadowClan border. Gorsepaw made a mental note of everything she saw on the way there. They were taking a different path than last time. This part of the forest had much thicker underbrush than what was near the camp. After somewhat of a short trek, they began to near the ShadowClan border, as was signified by the distinct ShadowClan smell. Even though this was her second time smelling it, the stench was still disorientating to her. It was also incredibly strong. Perhaps the dusk patrol had been here recently?

That's when she smelled it. The telltale scent of freshkill. Although they were nearing the border, there was still quite a distance before they reached it. Were the prey-stealers here again? Gorsepaw could tell that their mentors sensed something wrong too. She suddenly remembered that Blackeye wasn't with her when they met the prey-stealers, she was with the patrol!

"Blackeye I need to tell you something, when you sent Brackenpaw and I on that patrol we met the prey-stealers here. I think they might be here again." she mewed quickly in a hushed tone. Blackeye looked startled.

"Are you certain? I heard what happened to Leaftail and Whitefoot. If it's true, we have to act quickly," mewed Blackeye in response.

"How many were there when you met them?" asked Oakfur. Gorsepaw could tell that he was sizing them up.

"There were only three, but do you think they might bring more since we fought them off last time?" she asked anxiously.

"I doubt it, if they were really trying to steal prey I don't think they would want to draw very much attention to themselves." Oakfur looked towards Blackeye. Blackeye nodded. "Think you two can handle the fight?" Oakfur turned towards them to ask.

"I say we do it, we have the advantage of surprise," mewed Rabbitpaw excitedly. Gorsepaw remembered Vinepaw saying that they hadn't done anything exciting in their apprenticeship so far. Rabbitpaw was probably itching for a chance to test her skills in a real battle.

"Alright then, on the count of three we charge out of the underbrush." Rabbitpaw came up beside Gorsepaw, the two lowered into a crouch, ready to spring.

"One . . . two . . . THREE!" yowled Oakfur. Gorsepaw kicked off with her hind legs and exploded out of the brush. She immediately saw the invaders crouched over a couple of mice and squirrels. There were four ShadowClan warriors in total, her heart dropped. There was no way they were going to win this fight.

"ShadowClan attack!" yowled a yellowish tom. Immediately the four warriors turned and faced them. Gorsepaw crashed into a reddish brown she-cat first. The she-cat turned and hissed into her face. Defiantly, Gorsepaw aimed a quick swipe at her face. However, the she-cat quickly hopped back. Rearing up, the she-cat aimed a swipe at her shoulder. Gorsepaw only just managed to move fast enough to only just barely avoid the blow. She still felt claws swipe through her fur. How was she going to defeat a full warrior by herself? The two traded several more blows after that. Gorsepaw managed to land a good hit on the she-cat's cheek, while she had a long scratch down the side of belly. She had to stall this fight until Oakfur and Blackeye could help her! Without warning the she-cat launched herself at her. Without any time to react she felt herself get pinned to the ground.

Gorsepaw stared up at the she-cat, terrified. The she-cat lifted a claw and swung it at her soft underbelly. Gorsepaw shrieked as she felt the claws score a deep scratch into her belly. Searing pain exploded from stomach. She desperately tried to wiggle free but to no avail. The she-cat was so much heavier than her that there was no hope at all. Gorsepaw was ready for the second swing, managing to dodge most of it. However, the swipe still managed to catch above her eye and cut her pretty deeply. Her strength was starting to leave her. Desperately trying to squirm free and blinking blood from her eyes, she swung at her attacker's face. The swing connected but wasn't enough to get the she-cat off of her. Another swipe cut her shoulder badly, Gorsepaw's strength was almost gone. Miraculously, the weight on top of her disappeared. She quickly clawed her way back onto her feet to see what had happened.

Her father was on top of the she-cat. Using his hind legs, he pummeled her underbelly over and over. The she-cat writhed and yowled in pain before finally managing to wriggle free. With her tail tucked, she ran back towards the ShadowClan border. Oakfur and Blackeye had both managed to beat off their target. Gorsepaw thanked StarClan that the ShadowClan warriors were weaker than their own warriors. She limped towards where Oakfur was.

"Are you alright?" she mewed worriedly. Her father was covered in multiple scratches, and was bleeding heavily from a deep score on his flank, but otherwise looked fine.

"I'm alright, but we need to get you and Rabbitpaw back to camp. Leave the prey, we can come get it later," he mewed gruffly. Rabbitpaw? Gorsepaw turned quickly to look at her friend. She was limp on the floor motionless. Heavy scratches covered her battered body and her ear was nicked. Gorsepaw freaked out. Limping over as quickly as her wounds would let her, she nudged Rabbitpaw trying to get her to wake.

"Is she alright?! What happened?" mewed Gorsepaw terrified

"She was being beaten by one of the ShadowClan cats. I told her to run away but she wouldn't run, I think she wanted to prove to me she was ready to be a warrior," mewed her father tiredly, shaking his head. He bent over Rabbitpaw's limp body and picked her up gingerly by the scruff.

"Less gwo," he mumbled through Rabbitpaw's fur. Gorsepaw saw that Blackeye was limping heavily on his left. After what was an arduous and painful journey, the four finally arrived back at camp. Sunfur hurried over immediately and picked up Rabbitpaw's limp body while the three followed in. Worried murmurs resounded across the camp.

Once Gorsepaw reached the medicine den, she collapsed into a moss nest. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was exhausted.

"Stay with me Gorsepaw, don't sleep yet," mewed Pigeonpaw urgently, "eat this quickly." She pushed over some small black seeds. Gorsepaw slowly lapped them up. "They're poppy seeds. It'll help with the pain. I know they'll make you sleepy but don't rest yet. I need you tell me where you're injured first."

"My shoulder and my head, my belly is scratched up bad too," she listed. Pigeonpaw quickly began applying cobwebs and a strange smelling poultice to her belly.

"Anywhere else? Anything sprained or broken?"

"Not on me, but I think Blackeye might have hurt his limb, he was limping really badly," mewed Gorsepaw. No matter how hard she tried her eyes kept closing on their own. After a moment her wounds stopped hurting as she was whisked away into the mercy of sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hi again, rather tame chapter this time. Had to delay the last two so I had time to finish Chapter 10. Enjoy.**

Chapter 8

Gorsepaw awoke to some of the worst pain she had ever felt. She felt as if someone had skinned the fur off of her entire belly. She groaned as she shifted her position slightly. Pigeonpaw noticed her wake up and quickly came over to check on her.

"How are you feeling? Everything feel alright? I put cobwebs and marigold on all the wounds I could find," she mewed hurriedly.

"My belly hurts really bad," admitted Gorsepaw.

"Don't worry, I have something for that," mewed Pigeonpaw as she scurried over the herb pile. After a couple of moments, she came back with a broad leaf.

"This is dock, chew it up for me real quickly. I have to go get more cobwebs to switch out the old ones." she commanded Gorsepaw before scurrying back to the herb pile. Gorsepaw bent down and began to slowly chew up the dock. It didn't taste as bad as she expected. She decided that it reminded her a lot of the old leaf she used to play with as a kit. Once she finished, Pigeonpaw began to take off the old cobwebs on her. Using her paw, she scooped up the chewed dock and applied it to her wounds on her belly. Almost immediately, the pain reduced from a red hot sting to a dull ache.

"Oh wow, that's much better. Thanks Pigeonpaw"

"No problem. Now don't move, I have to put more cobwebs on your wounds."

"They don't seem to be bleeding to me though. Is it really necessary?"

"It's necessary in case they open up again from you moving. It's best to be careful while you are still recovering," she explained to Gorsepaw as she began putting fresh cobwebs on her belly. Once she had finished applying those, she put the rest on the long scratch on her head. Gorsepaw couldn't see herself, but she figured she probably looked weird with so many cobwebs on her head. As she looked around, she saw Rabbitpaw sleeping near a corner and suddenly remembered what had happened.

"Is Rabbitpaw going to be alright?" she asked anxiously.

"Sunfur did everything he could for her. I think she is going to be alright but it's up to StarClan now. She had a really bad scratch on her neck," she answered Gorsepaw rather worriedly. Gorsepaw silently cursed ShadowClan in her head. Who would injure an apprentice that badly? All of this was on top of the fact that they had been directly stealing prey from their territory! Gorsepaw wondered how Swallowstar was going to react to all of this. Surely injuring clanmates and stealing prey was the basis for a war.

She shifted uncomfortably in her nest. Gorsepaw had always hated being confined to the nursery as a kit. Now that she was stuck in the medicine den, that aching sense of boredom was starting to set in. She saw Blackeye curled up in the corner but she wasn't sure how much entertainment she would get out of him. Her father was nowhere to be found, although Gorsepaw was sure that she almost certainly wouldn't get any entertainment out of him. This meant that she would either have to entertain herself (StarClan forbid!) or wake up Rabbitpaw.

Gorsepaw flashed a glance towards Rabbitpaw. She was still sound asleep in the corner of the den. From her facial expression, she didn't seem like she was in too much pain. Gorsepaw silently wished to StarClan that she would be alright. A little part of her thought back to yesterday's training. Would Rabbitpaw had been as injured as badly as she was if Gorsepaw had helped her? No, if she had helped Rabbitpaw then that she-cat would have attacked her. There was nothing she could do. Near the end, she got pinned herself. How was she supposed to help Rabbitpaw then? Then she remembered that the only reason she escaped was because her father had helped her. Maybe it was her responsibility to Rabbitpaw but she had failed. Gorsepaw sighed guiltily. Perhaps she did have some responsibility in Rabbitpaw being injured so badly.

The rest of the day was spent rather uneventfully. She drifted in and out of sleep. She vaguely remembered Vinepaw and her mother showing up to check on her, but she wasn't sure if she was awake when they did. At some point she dragged herself out of the den and got herself a piece of fresh-kill despite Pigeonpaw's insistence that she go get it for her. After that she helped old Sunfur sort all the herbs into neat little stacks before retreating back to her nest to sleep.

o-o-o

By the time she woke it was already sunhigh. She shook the sleep out of her eyes as she stretched. Most of the cobwebs on her belly had been replaced already, probably by the ever zealous Pigeonpaw. A piece of fresh-kill had been placed next to her. As she munched through the thrush rather voraciously, she heard someone enter. Looking up, she saw that it was Pigeonpaw.

"Hey, thanks for changing my cobwebs and this thrush," she mewed appreciatively.

"Oh! That wasn't me. Vinepaw came in this morning and did all that. He actually did a surprisingly decent job with the cobwebs. I would have wrapped them a bit tighter though," mused Pigeonpaw. Vinepaw came in? Was it before he left for training? Why didn't he wake her up? Maybe he didn't want to hit her again to wake her up when she was injured. Gorsepaw made a mental note to hit Vinepaw on the head next time she got the chance.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" asked Gorsepaw after a moment.

"Probably after he finishes his training. I heard he had an assessment today. He's almost ready to be warrior at this rate. Rabbitpaw as well, but she'll probably be delayed due to this injury." explained Pigeonpaw as she organizing her herbs. "He looked pretty worried about you to be honest."

"What about Rabbitpaw? She looks terrible."

"Rabbitpaw is a different story. I don't know what happened, I asked Oakfur and Blackeye but both of them don't know. She got hit really bad on the head by something. She probably won't be herself for a few days even if she wakes up." answered Pigeonpaw. Gorsepaw looked at Rabbitpaw trying to stave off the inevitable feeling of guilt. She could have done something! Trying to distract herself, she dragged herself out of the medicine den to get some air. Almost as soon as she went out, she saw her mother rushing towards her.

"Gorsepaw! You woke up! Oh StarClan I was worried to death about. How in the world did you manage to get yourself into _two_ fights in a moon? What even are the chances of that?" fussed Goldenwhisker as she bounded over to her.

"Is dad alright?" asked Gorsepaw trying to change the subject.

"Yes! But don't ignore me! Sunfur said that you lost a lot of blood, you could've died! If you died I don't know what I'd do with myself," her mother mewed grimly.

"Calm down. I'm still alive aren't I?" she replied.

"Only barely! You don't know how lucky you are to be alive after being in two battles! You're barely older than a kit!" her mother continued on. Gorsepaw could tell it was because she worried about her, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed. It certainly didn't help that due to her injuries, she couldn't just run away.

"Mom could you _please_ give me some space," mewed Gorsepaw exasperatedly.

"Alright fine, but I expect you to report to me how your injuries are healing everyday!" conceded her mother. Gorsepaw groaned but didn't say anything else. She knew that this was as far as she was going to get with her mother.

"Shouldn't you be worried about dad too? He looked pretty beat up."

"He's doing fine. You wouldn't know because you are too young, but your dad is one of the toughest warrior in the clan! Some simple scratches would hardly keep him down." replied her mother. Gorsepaw felt that it was strange her mother was so calm about her mate getting hurt. "Alright go back to the medicine den now, I don't want your wounds to get worse," mewed her mother after a few moments. Begrudgingly, Gorsepaw complied, making her way back to the den.

She spent the rest of the day trying to remember a few herbs. Having decided that she would start slow, she had gotten three different herbs. One she knew already was borage. The other two were a shriveled brown root and a waxy green leaf. Eventually she killed enough time that she heard the distinct rustling of someone entering the den. Looking up, she saw Vinepaw entering the den with a piece of freshkill.

"Share?" he mewed through mouthful of feathers.

"Sure, I'm going to warn you I'm pretty hungry. You might not get that much to eat," she replied.

"No problem," he grinned, "I see you're back to your usual self."

"Sorry for sleeping so much these last two days. Pigeonpaw told me you changed my cobwebs and left me freshkill this morning," she said after taking a bite of the wren. Vinepaw chuckled.

"I had no idea what I was doing when I was putting on new cobwebs. I just tried to stick it where I thought you were hurt," mewed Vinepaw amusedly. She saw him catch Rabbitpaw's sleeping body out of the corner of his eye. "I . . . ah, do you know if she'll be alright?"

"Pigeonpaw thinks that she'll be alright . . . "

"I hope she is, it makes me so angry thinking that I there was nothing I could do. If only I was there," mewed Vinepaw unhappily. Gorsepaw felt as if someone was pricking her with a thousand porcupine needles. That repressed sense of guilt washed over her full force like a wave. "Hey Gorsepaw, you alright? Your face just got darker all of a sudden."

Gorsepaw didn't know what to say to Vinepaw. That she could have prevented her sister's injuries? She looked up at him before looking down at her paws again. After a moment she spoke.

"I could've helped her but I got too caught up in my own fight. It's my fault she's injured," Gorsepaw mewed at last.

"Gorsepaw, are you SERIOUS?" roared Vinepaw. Gorsepaw flinched, Vinepaw was going to be angry, she knew it. "LOOK AT YOURSELF! You almost died! Your belly is literally shredded! Are you really trying to tell me that you could've helped Rabbitpaw? In the end, Rabbitpaw didn't die, even if she is injured, and you didn't die. I think that's as good of an outcome as it's going to get," ranted Vinepaw all at once. Gorsepaw looked up at him, he didn't look as angry as he sounded. The only way Gorsepaw could really describe his expression was something akin to being fiercely worried.

"I'm sorr-," Gorsepaw began.

"No you aren't, you didn't do anything wrong. Yes I'm worried about Rabbitpaw being hurt, but that doesn't make your life any less valuable than hers," he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I'm worried about you too, you know." Gorsepaw was surprised. Vinepaw's characteristic confidence had faded away to uncharacteristic sensitivity. He looked away rather abashedly. Gorsepaw couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks," was all Gorsepaw said. Vinepaw smiled at her.

o-o-o

Just like that, a dozen days passed. The boredom had eventually faded away as she got used to the daily routine. Just by listening to Pigeonpaw mumble to herself, Gorsepaw had learned several herb names and their uses. Now, if a queen needed more milk, if somecat got a rat bite, or if somecat sprained a joint, Gorsepaw would be there to help!

Luckily enough, Rabbitpaw had woken up too. However, she couldn't move very much and slept a lot. Pigeonpaw had said that it was because most of her energy was being used to heal her wounds. Gorsepaw had managed to talk to her a few times, but it wasn't very coherent. Rabbitpaw wasn't really back into the loop yet.

Although she had gotten used to the routine, Gorsepaw itched to get back to training. Every sunrise, she would ask Sunfur if he thought that she was ready to go back to training. Everytime she asked, he would glance at her before shaking his head. Today however, things finally took a turn for the better. After checking on Rabbitpaw, which was uneventful as usual, she went up to Sunfur to ask the usual question.

"Sunfur, do you think I'm ready to get back to training?" Gorsepaw began nonchalantly as usual..

"I think you are Gorsepaw," he responded with an equally nonchalant tone. Gorsepaw looked up in surprise. Sunfur gave her a gruff smile. "I was waiting for your wound on your belly to close a bit more. It looks healed enough now that I don't think it will open even if you jumped around." Gorsepaw opened her mouth to thank him but was interrupted as he continued. "I've already told Swallowstar about this. Blackeye isn't quite ready to train yet, so I'm sure she'll give you an alternative mentor for a few days."

"Uh . . . um . . . thanks?" mewed Gorsepaw, feeling rather overwhelmed, "I'll . . . I guess I'll be going now."

"Mhm," Sunfur nodded at her as she exited the den, excited.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hi again, whew this one was bit of a challenge. Trying to write an entire with minimal dialogue was way harder than I expected. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 9

Nearly a moon had passed since the fight with ShadowClan at the border. Gorsepaw had recovered a lot since then. Immediately after Sunfur told her she was ready to train, Swallowstar had assigned her to Shrewtooth. The wiry she-cat had taught her a ton of dodging techniques. After a few days however, regular training resumed with Blackeye once Swallowstar deemed him fit enough.

Interestingly enough, Swallowstar had chosen not to declared war on ShadowClan for stealing prey. However, she overheard that Swallowstar had accused ShadowClan at the gathering. Rabbitpaw was also healing great as well. She had more or less returned back to herself despite that head injury. On top of that, she had also resumed training, but was on Sunfur's strict orders to not do anything too engaging due to her head injury.

Gorsepaw was starting to feel more confident in her abilities everyday. She could tell Blackeye felt the same. More often than not, he would let her take care of her duties by herself. Changing moss for elders, collecting herbs, and various apprentice responsibilities she handled herself. The only time Blackeye really told her to do anything would be when they went out training. This morning, Blackeye was outside the apprentice den waiting for her.

"Good morning Gorsepaw," he mewed politely. Usually Blackeye would sit around near the warriors den until Gorsepaw came to find him. It was strange for him to approach her first for training. "Swallowstar has put me on an away party to ShadowClan to discuss their recent prey stealing. Normally I would have assigned you to Shrewtooth, but I figured it might be a good experience to hunt alone for once." Gorsepaw looked up in shock, but that quickly faded into excitement.

"Really? By myself? Is this an assessment?" she mewed suspiciously. Although she was sure Blackeye wasn't lying about going to ShadowClan, this seemed awfully like a chance for him to gauge her on her hunting.

"Yes, by yourself. Also, how about a challenge? If you manage to catch more than the hunting patrol I'll consider asking Swallowstar about making you a warrior soon," he replied casually with a smirk.

"O-of course! I'm going to catch so much that Swallowstar has no choice to make me a warrior soon!" she replied in excitement as she bounced from paw to paw.

"Get going then, the sun is already up," he concluded. "Oh, and don't get too close to the ShadowClan border." After he finished, Blackeye stood up and went off to join several other warriors along with Cloudwhisper. A fleeting thought of whether sending an apprentice on her own to hunt crossed Gorsepaw mind. But she quickly replaced it with her plan of hunting. She would go immediately to the huge oak, before looping around and head towards the clearing. After concocting her plan, she made her way out of camp and towards the oak.

It was strange traveling alone. Usually she would follow her mentor. This time however, there was nothing to follow but her own decisions. A short trek later, she arrived. Almost immediately, she caught a whiff of prey. Some sort of bird. Gorsepaw wasn't sure that she'd be able to catch it, considering she didn't have the wings the bird did. Moving towards the scent in a crouch, she finally spotted the bird. It was a blackbird, perched on a low branch. It seemed preoccupied with something in the branch. Gorsepaw slowly inched forwards, she needed to get close enough to guarantee the catch, but not too close as to alarm the blackbird. Suddenly, the bird's head flicked around in alarm, Gorsepaw leapt. The blackbird opened its wings to fly but was pushed to the ground by Gorsepaw weight. She swiped at its neck before thanked StarClan. Burying the catch, she began to move forward again. She knew in her mind that there was probably no way she would be able to catch as much as a patrol. However, she realized that maybe that was the test all along, to test whether she would give up on an otherwise seemingly impossible task.

The second catch of the day was a shrew that had strayed too far from the safety of its hole. This seemed to be all the luck for her near the oak however, as she couldn't find anymore prey around. After one final sweep of the area, Gorsepaw decides to begin step two of the plan. Still keeping an eye out for any potential catches, Gorsepaw began to head towards the training clearing. Although she was hoping to score a catch on the way there, she didn't find anything. Finally she arrived in the clearing. Immediately, she set to work scouring the area. The first unfortunate critter to be caught was a fat squirrel. Although it had gotten a head start due to Gorsepaw not noticing it immediately, it was so slow that catching up to it was hardly a challenge. After burying the prey, Gorsepaw began to sweep the area again. After a short while, she gave up looking. Gorsepaw was sure that three pieces of prey wasn't going to cut it. Afterall, she had managed to catch the same amount on her first day as an apprentice!

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go check the small bridge near the shore to see if she could find any catches there. No doubt, some potential catches were being caught by the morning patrol as well. If she wanted to impress Blackeye, she was going to have to be a step ahead of them.

This turned out to be a great choice. On the way there, she caught another squirrel. Once she arrived, it didn't take much longer before she hit the jackpot. There was a small family of mice burrowing near a tree by the shore. Gorsepaw would have to try to catch all three, which wasn't an easy task due to the fact that if she caught one, the other two would surely run. She managed to silently catch one of the mice simply because it had left the burrow. Gorsepaw smiled excitedly. If she could catch these other two, she'd surely impress Blackeye!

The two mice that had stayed near the burrow were working together on a small pile of nuts. Gorsepaw was relatively sure that if she waited, she would eventually get an opportunity. But she needed to hurry if she wanted to collect all of her past catches. She remembered how she managed to catch the two mice back on their first training session. Getting ready, she slowly approached the leftmost mouse. After waiting for a moment to make sure the mice hadn't noticed her, she leapt. Immediately, the second mouse began to run. Gorsepaw quickly finished off her first catch, and pushed off with her left limbs. But rather than landing on the fleeing mouse, she undershot and missed. She watched frustratedly as she watched the final mouse disappear into the bushes.

Deciding that now would be a pretty good time to go back and fetch all of her previous catches, Gorsepaw began to retrace her steps. She would have to go all the way back to the oak to pick up her first catches of the day, Picking up the two mice, she started backtracking. As she was walking she noticed a hole in the ground. This was the badger set that Vinepaw had showed her when they were still kits! She peered into the set, everything seemed undisturbed.

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she dropped the prey she was carrying by the entrance and hopped in. As she landed, she gave her eyes time to adjust to the darker lighting before looking around. The tunnels on the walls were all still there, and the one tunnel that had collapsed was there as well.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure at the far end of the small stream, it seemed to have its head dipped as if it were drinking water. The figure looked up, noticed her, and ran.

"Hey! Wait up! Who are you?" yowled Gorsepaw frantically as she began to chase after the mysterious figure. Was this the tunnel cat? Why was there a cat living down here? The tunnel cat jumped up into one of the tunnels and began to disappear into the dark. Gorsepaw gave chase, following closely behind as she entered the tunnel. Was she really going into another tunnel? Vinepaw wouldn't be here this time to pull her out if something happened. As she ran further and further into the tunnel, she felt the familiar feeling of dirt falling onto her.

Terrified, Gorsepaw gave up the chase and quickly ran the opposite way. If the tunnel collapsed this time, she would surely get buried alive. She collapsed onto the soft dirt outside of the tunnel, chest heaving. Who was the figure? It didn't smell like it was from ThunderClan, was there a rogue living on their territory? She knew that going into those tunnels were a bad idea. But she still made a mental note to come back here again at some point and explore thoroughly. Right now, she needed to get all the prey and bring it back to camp. Shaking herself off, she exited the cavern and retrieved the three pieces of prey before heading off towards the clearing again.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw stumbled into the camp, her four paws exhausted. She had carried her six catches all by herself for the entire distance. Her jaws ached from the weight. Finally, she made it to the freshkill pile and dropped her entire bounty in it.

"Impressive. Good job Gorsepaw," she heard a mew behind her. Turning around, she was face to face with Swallowstar who looked down at her approvingly. "Blackeye had told me to keep an eye on your catch once you returned. I have to say, I'm not disappointed," she continued.

"Thank you Swallowstar," Gorsepaw dipped her head respectfully.

"I think I can seriously consider making you a warrior soon, maybe in a moon or two," she mewed.

"What about my sister?" Gorsepaw asked.

"Now listen, I don't want _any_ rivalry between you two alright? Your job would be to help your sister, not gloat at her. Yes, she might need a moon or two extra to make sure she masters everything, but that doesn't mean that she is any less of a warrior than you, understood?" responded Swallowstar calmly yet sternly.

"Yes, of course Swallowstar," mewed Gorsepaw mutely. Inside, she was exploding with excitement, she would become a warrior before her sister!

"That's that then, I'm sure Blackeye will be very proud of you when he gets back later," mewed Swallowstar before heading back to her den. Gorsepaw went over to the freshkill pile and helped herself to the fat squirrel she had caught. But a small part of her mind kept on nagging her about the mysterious cat in the tunnels. She would definitely have to go to investigate whenever she had the chance to do so.

The rest of the day was uneventful for her. She did her apprentice duties, and waited around until the away party returned. They all looked tired and exhausted. Gorsepaw had figured that Blackeye would probably be too tired to do anything else so she didn't bother him. The rest of the apprentices returned shortly after and they all shared tongues and caught up on what everyone did today.

As Gorsepaw curled up, ready to sleep, she had one last fleeting thought about the mysterious figure. She wondered who it could be. Finally, she made the decision that she would ask Blackeye if she could have a day off from training tomorrow. Surely catching such a large amount of freshkill would give her a little leeway with him. She would investigate the tunnels first thing tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hi again, sorry for the shorter chapter. I usually try to go for 2k words but this chapter just doesn't have that much to write about. Enjoy.**

Chapter Ten

Gorsepaw had never woken up so early before. After a short grooming, she hopped out of her nest and went straight for the warriors den. She wasn't sure why Blackeye woke up so early either, but he was already in his usual spot waiting for her.

"Good morning," he mewed as usual. "You're up quite early today, what's the matter?"

"Blackeye, I have a favor to ask. I found something interesting yesterday while hunting. I was wondering if I could maybe take a break from training today to go investigate." she asked hopefully.

"Investigate? I suppose a break from training is fair enough considering how well you did yesterday . . . fine. But you have to bring someone else along with you." he mewed after a slight consideration.

"Thank you so much Blackeye, I'll be careful I promise," mewed Gorsepaw happily.

"Surely you mean _we'll_ be careful right? Because you are going with someone else," he mewed suspiciously.

"Right . . . er that's right, I'll go ask right now." mewed Gorsepaw unconvincingly. Blackeye gave her a weird look but didn't say anything else to her. Gorsepaw knew that there was no way she was going to be able to take another warrior with her. If she could, she would've asked Vinepaw or Brackenpaw, maybe even Rabbitpaw but they would all be busy today with training. She would have to go alone. Walking briskly, she tried to make it seem like she was going to ask. Peeking behind her, she could see Blackeye watching her closely. She'd have to ask somecat just to make it look like she was trying. Padding around, she noticed Grassnose by himself next to the freshkill pile.

She really didn't know much about Grassnose, besides the fact that he had mentored Tigerstreak. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she hurried up to him.

"Grassnose? I have a question," she began.

"Hmm?" he grunted in response as he turned to face her. Looking back again, she saw that Shrewtooth had approached Blackeye and that he was no longer focused on her.

"Uhh . . . actually nevermind," quickly muttered Gorsepaw in response. Grassnose looked at her annoyedly but turned back to the freshkill pile. She thanked StarClan for sending such an opportune distraction. Hurrying to dirtplace, she quickly hopped through the ferns that covered the secret exit and left camp.

After a few tense moments of traveling, everything seemed to be calm. No cat was following her and it didn't seem like anyone noticed her leaving. Sighing in relief, Gorsepaw began to quickly head towards the familiar badger set. This wasn't going to take long. She would get in, explore the tunnels, and get out. On her way back she could also catch some prey, that would make it seem like she was busy the whole time. Feeling confident in her plan, she continued towards the badger set. On the way there, she noticed a scent of mouse. Thinking about how lucky she is, she managed to quickly catch it and bury it at the base of a tree. Even if Blackeye or some other cat asked her about being absent all day, she would have a rock solid alibi. After a few moments of travelling, she noticed the familiar mound that constituted the entrance of the badger set. Approaching, she hopped inside, her paws meeting the familiar sloped hill that lead down to the stream.

Once she entered, she looked around quickly. There was no one to be seen. Gorsepaw had hoped that perhaps the mysterious cat would be drinking from the stream again. Undeterred, she headed towards the tunnel that she lost the trail last time. There was a chance that the tunnel could collapse. This time however, Gorsepaw was prepared. She would move slowly and carefully as to not disturb the loose dirt in the tunnel. If the tunnel collapsed, she would quickly run forward.

Gorsepaw had thought about this a lot. There was no way that these tunnels were dead ends. When she came here as a kit, the tunnels had collapsed which would have blocked the figure inside. However, due to the fact that she had seen the figure the other day, it confirmed that the figure wasn't trapped. The only explanation that made sense to her is that the tunnels must've lead to some other exit at the end. It was definitely strange that the figure would have returned back to the badger set but she figured maybe it was its home or something. Approaching the entrance of the tunnel, she peered inside. The musty scent of dirt and dust welcomed her as she cautiously began to walk in.

It was slow going at first. Gorsepaw made sure to not touch the walls of the tunnel at all as to not disturb the settled dirt. She was determined to catch the figure this time. Slowly inching forward, Gorsepaw was having trouble seeing the deeper she got. The miniscule amount of light that managed to go this deep into the tunnel was more or less completely blocked out by her own shadow. No matter. She put one paw at a time, one in front of the other. So far it didn't seem like the tunnels were going to collapse. Even when she accidentally bumped the ceiling with her back no dirt showered her.

As she continued, the tunnel was gradually getting smaller and more constricting. Was this tunnel a dead end? By this point, Gorsepaw could see practically nothing at all. No light managed to filter in this far and the only thing Gorsepaw had to go on was her sense of touch. Left paw forward. Right paw forward. Left paw forward. It continued like that for what seemed like an eternity. Then, the tunnel opened up to what seemed like a small cove. Gorsepaw still couldn't see but judging from the echoes of her breathing it seemed there was more room here. Taking a quick rest, Gorsepaw continued forward. At this point, she really wasn't sure what she was going to find. Perhaps it would be smarter to just turn around and go back.

"You should probably run," she heard a voice behind her mew quietly. It's voice sounded like deep thunder, it reminded her of Blazepelt's voice. Right after the warning, dirt dusted onto her head. The tunnels were collapsing! Trying not to panic, Gorsepaw tried to turn around but was met again by a smattering of dirt. Her way back was blocked! Knowing she had no choice, she turned around and hurtled forward into the dark. She could feel the sides of the tunnels rumbling, ready to collapse. Running as hard as she could, she began to feel huge chunks of earth fall onto her back. Chest heaving, she pushed on through, desperately hoping that her theory of another exit was true. For several tense seconds, Gorsepaw ran through the tight tunnels while being covered in falling dirt. Any moment now the tunnel was about to fall on her. In the distance she could make out light, she just had to make it! Drawing out the last of her adrenaline, she rushed towards the light. Just as she was about to make it, the light disappeared.

She was trapped! Desperately kicking against the dirt, she struggled to crawl through the loosened earth. However, she was losing strength fast, and most importantly her breath. Each kick she mustered was weaker than the previous as she wriggled as hard as she could towards her only chance to survive. She felt herself passing out as she suffocated. With one final weak kick she pushed as hard as she could. It was over, she thought to herself.

Light flooded all around her as she broke through out the other end. She gulped air greedily as she laid on the soft forest floor, exhausted. She survived. Against all odds, she survived. Her limbs felt like they were made of stone, her chest hurt from all the running. Plus, she hadn't ate anything before she had left camp. Her belly growled unhappily as if to protest against its emptiness. Gorsepaw didn't care, she had just had the closest stint with death in her life. After a couple of moments of recovering, she finally stood up and shook off all the loose dirt that was still on her grey pelt. She looked around at her surroundings, afterall it was probably best for her to get back soon, lest Blackeye get angry. But dread began to seep into her feet as she worriedly gazed around. Where in StarClan was she?


	12. Chapter 11

**Hi again, first off I want to apologize for the slow release of chapters, school just started and everything sucks. Second, Chapter 11 and 12 were written originally as one chapter but eventually became two. As a result, I apologize if there is any editing or pacing issues. Enjoy and please review!**

 **BlurstartheleaderofWildclan:** Thanks! Sorry about the slow update speed, I'm not that fast of a writer haha, I'll try my best to get it back to one a week though,

Chapter 11

Gorsepaw was lost. It wasn't that she was in some other clan's territory either. She was completely, undoubtedly lost. No familiar scents or landmarks. Just her and a small running brook. In any other situation this would've been quite a relaxing setting. But right now, it made for a very terrifying set of circumstances. Where was she? She couldn't go back through the tunnel where she came from. There were too many twists and turns in the tunnels for her to simply turn around and go above ground. There was nothing familiar that she recognized around her. Gorsepaw started panicking, what if she never saw her home again? It's completely possible that she would be lost forever. What would Blackeye think? He was expecting her to come back soon. Maybe he was sending a search group out right now. But how would they ever find her? Gorsepaw shook her head, right now she had to focus on the task at hand. She needed to get home.

Taking deep breaths, she began to explore the immediate area around her. Everything she saw was increasingly more unrecognizable and foreign. She saw different kinds of trees she had never seen before. Some sort of wooden structure here, another weird scentless object here. Gorsepaw was starting to get very scared now, and even more lost. She saw several huge animals in the distance. They had spindly legs and a huge body, their necks bent down eating something on the ground. She briefly recalled her mother telling her about these twoleg creatures. Maybe these confusing things were twoleg objects? She could feel her heart ache for home.

The more she explored the less hope she had for getting home quickly. Nothing she saw made sense. A one point she came across a huge den of some sort, made of wood. There were several of the spindly legged creatures inside, eating some sort of straw. The creatures seemed quite docile. They hardly cared even when they noticed her. She had quickly moved on from there though. As she kept walking more and more of the dens began to show up. The dirt beneath her paws were quickly replaced by hard, foul smelling, black material. Gorsepaw would've described it as the nastiest rock she had ever seen. Several times she saw creatures with two legs milling around. Gorsepaw was relatively sure that those were the twoleg creatures her mother had told her about. She had also caught whiffs of what she was sure were scents other cats. But she never saw any of them.

Continuing down the path of black rock, she wondered if she would find some prey soon. Her belly rumbled uncomfortably as if to protest the lack of food. At first, she had considered returning back to the forest she came from, but that option was quickly taken off the list after she realized she had no clue how to get back. In hindsight, she shouldn't have even wandered this far into this strange area.

The black rock she walked on was rough and hot. Unfortunately, there was no dirt to be seen. If she tried to avoid the black rock, her only alternative was gray rock. For a good while, Gorsepaw had no idea what she was looking for. The further she walked, the deeper she got. Finally, she approached a row of trees and a patch of dirt. Basking in the familiarity for a second, she peeked through the bush onto the other side. She was met by the most terrifying thing she had ever seen.

A huge guttural sounding animal roared down the black rock path. Its eyes were cold and gray, its pelt was hard and shiny. From a bush she watched as a twoleg stepped out of the terrifying creature. She had wondered if it hurt for the creature to carry the twoleg in its own body. She decided she didn't want to know. As she looked to her left she saw a massive path full of these creatures.

As she peered out from her hiding spot at the huge herd of the strange creatures, she wondered if they were dangerous to her at all. They didn't seem to notice her at all, they just kept running down the black rock path. Would she have to cross this path? It certainly didn't look safe enough to cross without her inevitably being struck by one of them.

"Hiya! What are you doing here?" a voice sounded behind her. Gorsepaw nearly passed away from fright. Spinning around, she was face to face with a ginger she-cat.

"Wha-who are you?" mewed Gorsepaw, still shaking from fright.

"Woah, I didn't mean to spook you so badly," she laughed, "my name is Jasper. What's your name?"

"Uh . . . Gors-My name is Gorsepaw," stuttered Gorsepaw, still badly shaken. She quickly assessed her, she didn't look like a threat at all. Her ginger pelt glistened in the afternoon sun. Based on her stance, she didn't seem as if she was going to attack her. After collecting herself for a moment she decided that the stranger probably wasn't dangerous. "I'm lost, do you think you could help me get home?"

"Sure! Where are you from?" mewed Jasper happily.

"I'm from a place called ThunderClan. This place doesn't look much like it at all. Where am I?"  
"You're in the City right now. ThunderClan? What a funny sounding name." replied Jasper in her sing-song cheery tone. Gorsepaw decided that she wouldn't be that bad of a cat to be friends with. "Well, I don't know what a ThunderClan is, but if you want we can go back to the Hideout. I'm sure some oldie will know it."

"Wait hold on, I don't even _know_ you. Why would I go with you?" mewed Gorsepaw suspiciously. Jasper looked hurt, as if it was preposterous to assume that a stranger would bear any ill intentions.

"I mean, you don't have to come I guess, usually when I meet new faces I'll bring them to the Hideout to meet the others . . .," she shuffled her paws as she looked at the ground. Although Gorsepaw still felt suspicious, she didn't feel any bad intentions emanating from Jasper. On top of that, Gorsepaw figured that might be the best chance she had to get some more information. Not wanting to seem rude to such an innocent sounding cat, she finally agreed.

"Sure, alright," mewed Gorsepaw as she began following Jasper. Jasper gave her a quick smile and began walking.

"It's quite far from here, we can stop somewhere for the night if you need to," mewed Jasper empathetically. "You look as tired as you sound."

"I've been lost for the whole day," replied Gorsepaw as they passed by some sort of pole.

"Oh you poor thing, don't worry. We'll get you home for certain!" mewed Jasper. The duo continued down through a small patch of forest for a while. Several times they encountered the twoleg creatures but Jasper seemed to pay them no heed. After a bit or traveling in silence Gorsepaw spoke up.

"So what are these creatures with two legs?"

"We call them Walkers. Honestly we aren't sure what they are either. But some of them give us food sometimes so we don't mind them," she responded.

"What about those shiny pelt creatures? I saw a Walker get out of one!" mewed Gorsepaw incredulously.

"Those aren't animals silly, I'm not sure what they are either, but they are certainly not alive." Jasper didn't look as certain as she sounded though. As they continued to travel down through the city, Gorsepaw started to realize just how hungry she was. She hadn't ate anything since yesterday. Were there even prey in the city? Gorsepaw tried to suppress her hunger for as long as she could, but after a particularly bad growl in her belly she popped the question.  
"Jasper? Could we maybe catch something to eat?" she asked slightly abashedly.

"Don't worry, we are almost at a place with food," replied Jasper. Gorsepaw wasn't sure what she meant by a place with food. Perhaps only there could they find prey. Not wanting to question her only guide, she obediently followed Jasper as they began to climb up a hill. Once they had reached the top of the hill, Jasper spoke up.

"See that?" Jasper gestured at a brown topped nest at the base of the hill. Gorsepaw immediately spotted several cats milling about the area. However, they were all behind a fence that looked as if it were made out of hard, shiny vines. "That's where we are going."  
"Are you sure there's food in there? Those cats look like they are trapped in there," responded Gorsepaw uneasily.

"Oh, don't worry. Those are lazy squatters that choose not to leave."

"Squatters?"  
"Yeah, those are the cats that _choose_ to live with the Walkers. I'll never understand why they choose to do that, but they usually just ignore us, so we don't bother them." explained Jasper as the duo began to make their way towards the fence. Once Gorsepaw arrived, she sniffed the hard, shiny fence. It had no scent and was cold to the touch. Weird.

"Jasper! You came back!" a loud yowl came from inside the fence. A fat she-cat waddled over to the fence.

"Hi Candy. This is Gorsepaw. You guys have any food left?"

"You always seem to ask, of course we have food left!" responded Candy cheerfully. Gorsepaw was amazed, this place just _gave_ away food? There was hardly enough prey in the forest for ThunderClan alone. How could they have so much food that they can afford to just give it out?

"How do we get in?" asked Gorsepaw after a moment. Jasper opened her mouth to speak but Candy spoke first.

"It's easy! Just go up to the Walkers and rub on their legs, they'll let you in." Gorsepaw wasn't so keen on going that close to a Walker creature. They didn't look that threatening but they certainly didn't look friendly. Gorsepaw turned to Jasper for advice.

"Don't worry Gorsepaw, they won't hurt us. I've done this countless times," mewed Jasper reassuringly. "Just follow my lead." Going around towards the entrance of the nest, Gorsepaw watched as Jasper stalked up to a clear wall. Jasper arched her back and began to paw at the clear wall surface. Nothing happened for several moments but then all of a sudden, the clear wall slide away on its own! A Walker emerged from inside. It chattered in a garbled tone before stroking Jasper's head.

"Hey, Gorsepaw! Get over here quickly," whispered Jasper. Gorsepaw hesitated but begrudgingly obliged, cautiously heading over the the Walker. The Walker once again responded with a series of chatters before reaching down for Gorsepaw. She flinched as the paw touched her head, but she forced herself to stand still as it stroked her neck. After a moment, the Walker got up and headed back into the nest. Jasper flicked her tail towards the Walker before following it in. As Gorsepaw entered the dimly lit nest, she was shocked by the temperature change inside. Whereas it was warm and humid outside, it was cool and dry inside. Following the Walker, it opened another wall that lead to the strange fenced area. Jasper quickly bounded through the entrance. Not wanting to be left behind, Gorsepaw quickly headed through as well. Once she entered, she turned around just as the wall was closed behind her.


	13. Chapter 12

**Whew, this one is late. Not too happy with the latter part of the chapter but I just want to finish this chapter at this point. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 12

"We're trapped! Jasper are you sure about this?" mewed Gorsepaw frantically. She spun around and desperately tried to claw on the wall.

"Oh calm down. We have a way out of here, this is just the way in," responded Jasper calmly as she headed towards another gate. Hoping to StarClan, Gorsepaw followed her cautiously. Once they passed through the second gate, she saw Candy waiting for them. The Walker hadn't done anything to them thankfully. Gorsepaw smoothed her fur quickly as they approached Candy.

"Wow, you're smaller than I expected . . . uh-," started Candy.

"Gorsepaw."  
"Right, you're smaller than I expected Gorsepaw," finished Candy rather shamelessly.

"Well, you're bigger than I expected," mewed Gorsepaw defensively.

"Gorsepaw's right, didn't I tell you to move around more?" mewed Jasper.

"I do! Can't you tell?" shot back Candy, though Gorsepaw could tell from her tone of voice that she was joking. "Anyways, the food's over here."  
" _This_ is why you don't want to be a squatter," muttered Jasper under her breath before following Candy. They went over to a small shelter near the back of the fenced area. Inside, there were several discs of brown pellets.

"Eat up!" mewed Candy after a moment.

"This . . . is this food?" asked Gorsepaw rather confusedly. The brown pellets smelled like a mixture of every type of prey she had ever ate, yet it didn't at the same time.

"Food is food. It doesn't beat a nice mouse, but finding prey here is almost impossible. Sometimes Walkers throw out food but it can make you sick, so I just stick to this," shrugged Jasper before eating. Gorsepaw stared at the brown pellets for a couple moments longer but a rumble from her stomach convinced her. Bending down, she tasted the pellets. It was bland and tasteless, almost like eating dirt. But it wasn't disgusting enough to deter her. After a few silent moments of eating, Gorsepaw didn't feel hungry anymore.

"What do you think?" asked Candy curiously.

"It's alright, you eat this everyday?"

"Of course! That's usually the reaction most cats have but you'll get used to it." After drinking a bit of water, Gorsepaw felt tired. Her paws ached from traveling all day. She didn't want to stay in this strange place with these strange cats. She imagined what she would've been doing if she hadn't explored those tunnels. She'd be curled up, warm in her nest. Her belly would be comfortably full of actual forest prey, instead of strange brown pellets.

"I think we should stay here for tonight," Jasper piped up. "I'm way too tired to go any further than this for today."  
"Where can we sleep?" asked Gorsepaw, it was meant for Jasper but also somewhat directed towards Candy.

"Over here!" mewed Candy before waddling out of the den. Gorsepaw followed her across the clearing to another den. Inside were multi-colored pelts, several other cats were already curled up inside. Candy padded over to one of the unnaturally colored pelts and curled up. Gorsepaw dabbed a paw at the strange material, it was like fur but coarser. Realizing she really didn't have any other options, she stepped onto it and curled up. The material was stuffy and uncomfortable, nothing like her cool, soft moss nests back in ThunderClan. Feeling homesick, Gorsepaw closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw woke up feeling groggy and unrested. After grooming herself, she shook out the sleep in her eyes and stepped outside of the den. Jasper was already up and about, sniffing at something near the corner of the fence.

"What's up?" mewed Gorsepaw as she approached her.

"Seeing if our exit route still works," replied Jasper without looking up. She sniffed along the length of the fence before going back to the corner.

"What're you looking for?" asked Gorsepaw again as she watched her curiously.

"Tunnels. Some cats had dug an exit tunnel under this part of the fence. No one here really ever _leaves_ this place so I'm making sure it hasn't collapsed like it did a while back." mewed Jasper between sniffs. Collapsing tunnels? That hit a bit too close to home.

"You can smell whether or not the tunnel is collapsed?" mewed Gorsepaw rather abashedly. Perhaps if she knew how to sniff for collapsing tunnels she wouldn't be in this position.

"Of course! If the tunnels are open the smell is damp and dusty, but if they really did collapse than it's just a smell of dirt." After a few moments of silence she finally stood up again. "It seems the middle part of the tunnel fell down, we're going to have to dig." Gorsepaw wasn't sure if she could dig, it didn't seem that hard but the idea of having to move dirt with her paws seemed dirty and disgusting.

"I guess I could try," said Gorsepaw unwillingly, she followed Jasper towards the corner of the fence. Looking down, she saw a small slab of stone cover what seemed to be like a pit. Using her nose, Jasper pushed the stone aside to reveal a tunnel entrance before proceeding into the dark tunnel with no hesitation. Gorsepaw followed close behind her, slowly making her way through the dark tunnel before Jasper stopped abruptly.

"Alright, I'll dig. When I push dirt behind you, keep pushing it through so it doesn't block us," commanded Jasper as she began to dig. As dirt flew behind towards Gorsepaw, she used her hind legs to kick the dirt backwards. Several minutes of digging ensued, until finally Jasper broke through. Gorsepaw was covered in dirt, but in the constricting tunnels there was no room to shake it off. Feeling uncomfortable, Gorsepaw followed Jasper through the tunnel for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she saw light in the distance of the tunnel. Feeling motivated, they continued to crawl through until finally they exited out of the tight corridors. Gorsepaw was blinded as her eyes quickly adjusted to the bright noon sky.

"See? I told you stopping there for the night was a good idea. Now we can continue on well rested and well fed!" Gorsepaw would've argued with her considering how badly rested she was, but she figured that it wasn't very smart to offend her only friend. "We'll be at the Hideout by sundown if we really hurry."

After shaking off all the dirt from her pelt, Gorsepaw began the arduous journey again. The duo continued for a significant amount of time along a black path before following a path made of gray rocks. Gorsepaw's pads were starting to bleed but she grit her teeth and continued on. She managed to get her mind off of the pain in her paws by focusing on all the new and strange things that they saw.

o-o-o

By the time they were nearing the Hideout the sun was starting to set. Gorsepaw's bleeding pads had long gone numb. Jasper didn't seem to be affected by walking on the hard paths at all, however she had decided to walk on the dirt so that Gorsepaw wouldn't ruin her paws anymore.

"There it is!" mewed Jasper. Gorsepaw looked in the direction that Jasper was facing but she didn't see anything that looked particularly different.

"Where is it?" she mewed confusedly.

"That mud colored den in the distance! Its enormous, there is no way you can miss it." Gorsepaw finally saw what Jasper was referring to. They lived in that?

After a short trek, they arrived at a small hole in the side of a den, decidedly less grand than she had originally thought. However, up close the den felt more akin to a huge mountain than a normal den. It was higher than anything Gorsepaw had ever seen before, perhaps as tall as the great oak. "Through here!" mewed Jasper before hopping into the hole. Gorsepaw sniffed at the entrance. Was following this stranger into a small, confined space really that good of an idea? After hesitating for a moment, she leapt the hole and was met by a dimly lit cave. It reminded her of the badger set at home. Around her were a large number of cats all lounging about. She estimated there to be maybe twenty to thirty other cats with her.

"Who's this Jasper?" mewed a tom near the entrance.

"Oh! This is Gorsepaw. She's lost," mewed Jasper happily.

"Horsepaw? Horse's have paws?" replied the tom confusedly.

"Gorsepaw, my name is Gorsepaw," corrected Gorsepaw hastily. The tom didn't look any less confused but he didn't ask anymore questions.

"Where are you from Gorsepaw?" mewed an older looking she-cat.

"I'm from ThunderClan, I don't know-"

"ThunderClan!?" the she-cat jumped up. Several other cats had stood up as well.

"Er-yeah. You know about us?" mewed Gorsepaw in utter confusion. How could some weird rogues know about ThunderClan?

"Of _course_ we know about you! Gravel go fetch Thistle, she'll want to know about this," Gorsepaw watched as a gray tom got up and quickly ran to the back of the cave. "ThunderClan has done a lot for us, we would never forget you." Gorsepaw stared at her, she had a fleeting feeling that there was lot of ThunderClan history she didn't know about. "Ah, my name is Golden. Nice to meet you Gorsepaw," she added.

"How's Foxstar doing?" mewed a grizzled old tom from a nest of white fluff.

"Er-Foxstar is dead," replied Gorsepaw bluntly, "I wasn't alive when he was leader. We have a new leader now, her name is Swallowstar."

"You always did say he was going to meet his end fighting like that," mewed Golden wistfully. "Another -star huh . . . Swallowstar," she continued as if she were testing the name. Gorsepaw was bewildered. Who were these strange cats? How could they possibly know about ThunderClan and its history if they lived so far away?

"You said you were lost?" mewed another she-cat that had been listening in on the conversation.

"Yes, I was er . . . traveling," Gorsepaw wasn't sure how she'd tell them that she got lost running through a tunnel, "since you all know about ThunderClan do you by chance happen to know how to get back?" continued Gorsepaw hopefully.

"I'm sorry. Only our old leader knew, and that was many moons ago," replied Golden sadly, "we'd be happy to help you in any way we can though." Just as Gorsepaw was about to reply she saw the gray tom from earlier returning with a white she-cat in tow. The white she-cat looked old enough to be an elder for sure.

"Wow, she really is from Thunderclan . . . " she muttered under her breath once she looked at Gorsepaw.

"Hello, yes I'm from ThunderClan," mewed Gorsepaw awkwardly, not sure what to say next.

"What are you doing so far out? ThunderClan has surely got to be several days journey from here," asked the she-cat. Gorsepaw wasn't sure if her name was Gravel or Thistle and eventually decided on simply not asking.

"I'm lost. I met Jasper yesterday and she led me back here," replied Gorsepaw truthfully. The more she mentioned that she was lost the more she realized how embarrassing it really was. "Is there a chance you know how to get back?"

"I don't personally know, but I know some cats that know for sure," mewed Thistle (Gravel?) warmly, "you'd have to wait here for a few days though, at least until the scouting group returns. The cat who knows is with them right now. You'd be welcome to stay with us for now, I'm sure there are a lot of questions for you."

"How long will it take for them to get back?" asked Gorsepaw uncertainly.

"Don't worry, it should be only a few days from now. It shouldn't be much longer." Although Gorsepaw was too keen on staying here for any longer than she had too, she realized it was probably her safest choice. At least here she was safe and had cats she knew.

"If it's alright could I stay for now then?" These cats were far more accommodating than any clans back in the forest. The fact that they could just take in a stranger like herself so openly was something Gorsepaw wished she could have back home. It would be a considerable improvement than the prey-stealing tension that was transpiring as of current. Gorsepaw wondered if ShadowClan was still up to no good.

"Of course, you can take one of the empty nests by the wall." Thistle gestured at the multi-colored pelts. The thought of having to sleep on one of those again made Gorsepaw uncomfortable, but not wanting to seem ungrateful, she happily thanked her.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hi again, and this time I'm actually on time. I'm quite unhappy about the way Chapter 11 & 12 are written. I might redo them at some point. Anyways, enjoy and please review!**

 **Cheries:** Thanks! And we'll have to see about Brackenpaw, who knows what'll happen. :0

Chapter 13

The next several days passed like a breeze. In order to not seem like a burden, Gorsepaw had went out hunting with several of the cats. However their version of hunting was more akin to scavenging. Rather than look for prey, they searched through big pits full of nasty smelling substances. They would pick out pieces of brownish meat from these pits to bring back to the Hideout. The meat tasted exotic and strange but it was admittedly an improvement over the brown pellets.

She had spent a lot of time talking with several of the cats in her free time. It turns out these cats were once lead by a tom named Thorn. Thorn had decided that to bring all the city cats to the lake due to the overcrowding issues they were facing. Once he had arrived and discovered the clans, his objective changed from finding a new home to invading the Clans and taking their homes. However, as Thorn slowly descended into madness, many of his own cats decided they no longer wanted to fight for him. He committed increasingly terrifying atrocities against the Clans before finally being killed by Foxstar. Foxstar, rather than killing the surviving City cats decided to help them get home safely, saving the lives of many in the process. Many of those that survived were the cats that lived in the Hideout today.

It turns out that the cats that knew how to get back to the clans were actually the same cats that had deserted Thorn after he began to go insane. They had switched sides and had turned against their former allies. After the war, they had settled a nearby barn rather than return to their home. Over the moons, the returning City cats slowly dispersed and separated until it became what the Hideout is today.

What interested Gorsepaw the most however, were the stories about Foxstar. The overwhelmingly opinion on Foxstar was overwhelmingly positive.. Golden had recalled a story about how Thorn had became so worried about Foxstar, he had sent an entire patrol of cats just for the purpose of assassinating him. But rather than being killed, Foxstar had single handedly fought them all off. Gorsepaw wondered how many of these incredible stories were truly accurate, but one thing was for certain: Foxstar was as much of a legend to these cats as he was to the Clans.

Finally, on the seventh day of waiting the scouting group returned. One of the cats in the group, named Red, had told her how to get to the barn. He had even offered to bring her a bit of the way but Gorsepaw refused on the basis that she had honestly burdened these cats enough. Saying goodbye to Jasper was bittersweet. It was strange that she was so attached to a cat she had only known for nine days, but nevertheless, it was like saying goodbye to family member. After several emotional farewells, Gorsepaw began her journey towards the barn. She was no longer lost.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw bent down to lick the grit and blood out of her cracked pads. She had been traveling for almost two days now. Red's instructions had been pretty simple to follow. Follow the black path until it ends at a river, turn left and follow the dirt path until she arrived. However even after two days, the black path had not ended. Gorsepaw hoped on StarClan that she was still on the right path. The last two days had been a incredible shock of new experiences. Everything about the Walkers intrigued Gorsepaw. The fact that they seemed to do things for no specific reason at all only served to pique her interest even more. She had spent the better half of the day following a roaring black path. The strange creatures (apparently not creatures according to Jasper) sprinted down the path at extreme speeds. The only thing that Gorsepaw could even begin to compare it to would be the roaring currents of the RiverClan border.

Several times she had encountered a stray rogue here and there, but they mostly just kept to themselves and didn't bother her. Most of them didn't even respond to her when she talked to them. Another interesting thing that had happened was that once she had left the Walker infested areas, prey became much more common. It made Gorsepaw feel a bit better to eat the prey of the forest, however it also had an adverse effect of making her feel more homesick. She had wondered what her clanmates thought about her disappearance. Perhaps they were still looking for her? Or maybe they hadn't noticed her disappear at all. Gorsepaw didn't want to think that was a possibility at all, but she couldn't keep her mind off the possibility that it _could_ be the case. As she let her mind wander, she realized that she could see the end of the black rock path.

The end of the path came to an end right in front of a small river. On the sides of the path were dirt trails that lead off into the distance, Gorsepaw could feel her motivation coming back to her. However, she knew that there was no way she'd be able to make it today. The sun was already starting to sink beneath the horizon, and Gorsepaw was starving. Straying from the path, she began to look for potential prey. Although she was far away from the Walkers, prey was still few and far between. Walking around the fence, she spotted a tiny mouse nibbling at something. Gorsepaw considered leaving it alone. After all, it would be hardly a meal, even for her. After a moment, she thought against it. This could be her only catch of the day, and some prey was certainly better than no prey. Dropping down into a crouch, she stalked carefully forward. Without foliage cover, she had to be extra quiet as to not alert the mouse. Suddenly, the mouse tensed. Having no choice, Gorsepaw pushed forward with her hind legs. The mouse tried to scramble away but luckily Gorsepaw landed right on top of it. With a quick thanks to StarClan, Gorsepaw hungrily ate the few morsels of prey the mouse provided. Rather than feeling sated however, Gorsepaw's belly simply rumbled again.

As much as Gorsepaw wanted to simply find a place to rest, her stomach would not let her. Padding around the fence, she spotted a large patch of foliage near the side of the river. Surely there would be some prey there! Hungrily heading towards the bushes, she dropped into a crouch. She could smell several telltale scents of critters but there were none to be seen. Sneakily walking around, she heard some soft rustling near a bush with big, broad leaves. Parting the leaves with a paw, she saw a fat rabbit hopping around idly. Giddy with excitement at the possibility of being full, she quickly padded forward towards the oblivious rabbit.

"Who are you and what are you doing on our territory?" The rabbit jumped away, startled by the voice. Spinning around angrily, Gorsepaw faced the cat that had scared away her easy catch. The stranger was a mottled brown tom with a long bushy tail. He stared at her with a confident smirk.

"Your territory? How am I supposed to know? There is hardly any scent markers around here," Gorsepaw responded, defiantly matching his gaze. She knew that she was technically in the wrong for trespassing onto their land, however the mixture of hunger and exhaustion irritated her to a point where she just didn't care. Her stomach rumbled angrily at lost opportunity to be full.

"Well you better get going stranger, I don't think you want to cause any trouble here," he continued with that irritating smirk. Gorsepaw wanted to jump at him and swipe that look off his face. "Boss doesn't take too kindly to strange cats stealing prey on his territory," he sniffed. Gorsepaw briefly considered fighting this cat, but with the state of her hunger she doubted she'd even be a match for him.

"Fine. Where does your territory end?" mewed Gorsepaw, she knew that it was probably for the best if she just left the rogue to his own devices. A fight right now would not bode well for her.

"Just continue down the path, once you pass the-"

"I think it's too late for that, Mud." The voice resounded behind her strangely resembled that of her father's. Turning around, she saw two more cats starting to head towards her. Gorsepaw realized the danger she was, it was probably within her best interest to get out of here. "Where are you from?" The cat spoke again.

"I'm from ThunderClan, and right now I am heading home," replied Gorsepaw hesitantly.

"ThunderClan?" the tom narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. Gorsepaw wasn't sure what he was thinking, but at this point she knew she _definitely_ had to get out of here. As she turned around and started to leave, the mottled tom blocked her path.

"I don't think you're going to get to leave just yet," he mewed with tones Gorsepaw couldn't quite pick out. She would've felt threatened if it weren't for that annoying smirk. She turned around to see the two cats heading towards her. Thinking for a moment, she pretended to start leaping towards her left side. Immediately, the mottled tom stepped aside to block her. However, she feinted before turning around and sprinting towards the opposite direction. She turned around to see the three cats pursuing her. Although Gorsepaw knew she was fast, she couldn't run at full speed with an empty stomach. She was only slightly faster than her pursuers. As she turned to face forward, she noticed a cat leap out of the bushes. She ducked under the ambusher and kept on running. However, the lithe rogue recovered quickly and began to sprint after her. Gorsepaw ran as hard as she could, but the pursuer was much faster than she was. Turning again, she saw her pursuer get ready to leap on her. Thinking fast, she tried to step to the side as the rogue jumped but it was too late. She felt a huge weight crash into her and knock her over. Struggling to recover, she felt the ambusher pounce on top of her.

"Enough running," mewed the she-cat. Gorsepaw tried to struggle free but a heavy cuff made everything go dark.


	15. Chapter 14

**Hi again, the pacing in this chapter is a little strange. Due to the way I wrote it it isn't possible for me to insert another chapter between this chapter and the next one, but I tried my best to slow it down. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 14

A pulsing pain shot through Gorsepaw's head as she woke up. Her vision was blurry and spinning. She tried to stand up but her paws slipped and she fell onto her side. _Where was she?_ Trying again, she struggled onto her paws and stood still until her vision returned to normal. After a moment, she looked around. She was in some sort of cave, the walls were made of the same material as the Hideout. There were scattered remains of prey and random pieces of fluff strewn throughout the area. The only noticeable exit was blocked off by a large mass of vines and plants.

Padding towards the exit, she sniffed at the tangled mass. Soft beams of light filtered through the cracks between the weaving, Gorsepaw tried to push against the vines but it was obviously blocked from the other side. _Was this a prison?_ She poked around the edge of the exit, looking for a potential soft spot or weakness. However, it seemed that the entire outer rim of the exit was rock solid. _There has to be another way out._ Going along the walls, she sniffed at the edges looking for any indication of an alternative escape. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like such an alternative existed. All along the walls were a dry, rocky substance that acted as a great seal.

"I would give up if I were you, there's no other escape." Gorsepaw jumped. She hadn't expected there to be other cats with her. Turning around, she was met by the skinniest she-cat she had ever seen. Her pelt clung tightly to her ribs, and her belly seemed to cave into itself. Her jaws were gaunt and she barely had any noticeable muscle on her. "We've already checked every possible spot, the only way out is through the vines blocking us."  
"Who are . . . are you alright?" mewed Gorsepaw worriedly. The she-cat looked as if she were barely clinging to life. The stranger gave her a pained smile.

"As alright as I could be in this situation," she replied.

"Where are we right now?" asked Gorsepaw, the last thing she could remember was meeting those rogues and getting knocked out.

"Well obviously we are in a prison. Where'd you think we were?" she mewed unhelpfully.

"No, I mean who is holding us?" corrected Gorsepaw.

"A bunch of cats that call themselves the City, my mother told me about them before I got stuck here. They're a bunch of evil cats that fight and steal other cat's territories." Gorsepaw's fur spiked at the mention of the City. She remembered Ivyflame talking about the City invading the clans in the past. If these really were City cats, then she could be in danger!

"Why are they taking us prisoner? Did you do something wrong?" asked Gorsepaw, perhaps they had simply mistaken her for someone else.

"No, I didn't do anything. Are you from the Clans?" asked the stranger. Gorsepaw realized that she still did not know her name.

"Yes I am, I'm from ThunderClan, how do you know about us?" replied Gorsepaw. It seemed that the Clans were quite well known even outside of the lake.

"That's what I suspected. I think these cats are purposefully taking any cat related to the Clans prisoner," mewed the stranger. "My name is Lily by the way. Gorsepaw's mind was spinning, why were these City cats taking Clan cats prisoner? It suddenly dawned on her that perhaps that was why Jasper and Golden lived at the _Hideout._ Perhaps they were hiding from these rogues. "Anyways, come with me." she mewed tartly before padding off towards a corner of the wall. Following her, she saw that in the corner was a small hole. Going inside, she saw several nests made of multi-colored fluff. On one of the nests laid a tom. He was just as skinny as the she-cat, if not more. His dark ragged pelt was covered in darker tabby markings. As Gorsepaw entered into the small den, he lifted his head weakly and looked at her. After a moment, his eyes widened.

"Wha- You're from ThunderClan! I know that scent," he mewed incredulously. Gorsepaw sighed, it seemed everyone knew of the Clans.

"My name is Owlfall! I'm from WindClan. How'd you end up here?" he continued excitedly. Gorsepaw was surprised that he could still muster any strength at all, considering how emaciated he was.

"My name is Gorsepaw, and I got lost," mewed Gorsepaw bluntly. She didn't want to know how he'd react if she told him how she _really_ got lost. Owlfall flashed her a sympathetic look. Owlfall seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, he spoke up.

"Was WindClan looking for me? Do you know anything about my kits?" Gorsepaw could tell Owlfall was desperate. She didn't know a thing about WindClan, but she didn't have the heart to be blunt with him.

"I'm sure your kits are fine, WindClan was doing good as well," she concluded. Owlfall looked noticeably relieved at the news. Gorsepaw felt a stab of guilt at lying to him about his kits, however it was probably better for Owlfall not to worry.

"How long have you been here?" asked Gorsepaw, it was pretty obvious to her that he had been here for a while. He thought about it for a moment before speaking.

"I . . . wow. I've lost track but I'd guess at least more than two moons," he mewed sadly. He shifted uncomfortably on the pelt before continuing. "I got lost on a fox patrol. Everyone must think I'm dead after this long." He looked defeated and tired, as if he was resigned to stay here in this prison until he died.

"Shouldn't we try to escape? You don't possibly think that we'll be stuck here forever, do you?" mewed Gorsepaw. Owlfall didn't react immediately. Gorsepaw tried to read his face but he held a look she couldn't quite figure out. He sighed again, before folding his paws.

"I would really like to escape, but I don't even know how feasible that is anymore," he responded finally. "In case you can't tell, both Lily and I are too weak to do anything other than walk around slowly." He did have a good point. If it came to a fight, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves. Not sure of what to do, Gorsepaw figured she would at least get to know them a little better.

"Why are you here Lily? You don't seem to be from any clan." Lily looked pensive for a moment, before responding.

"My mother was mates with a clan cat. After she had me, we left and went to the city. It was alright for awhile, but eventually these cats found us and stuck me here after finding out where I was from. I still don't know where my mother is right now . . . I hope she's safe." It didn't seem fair to Gorsepaw that Lily would be persecuted for something she wasn't even apart of. _Why were these rogues taking us prisoner anyway?_

"I'm sure it'll all be fine," mewed Gorsepaw reassuringly, however she wasn't so confident about it herself. Lily smiled at her. Gorsepaw wondered which clan had a warrior that had a kit with a rogue.

"It feels weird to be reassured by someone so much younger than me . . . I appreciate it." Gorsepaw spent the rest of the day talking with Lily. There wasn't much else to do in the small cave besides pacing around and thinking. Eventually, Gorsepaw doze off, her belly still grumbling hungrily.

o-o-o

Just like that, almost six days had past. In the six days, Gorsepaw had only been fed twice. The perpetual hungry she was feeling when she first arrived eventually gave way to a slow gnaw. She had sat at the entrance everyday, biding her time and looking for any potential opportunities to escape. However, she had also been concocting her plan secretly. She had noticed that the only reason why the vines were blocked was because a guard outside rolled a stone in front of it. It was only today however, that she had gotten a good look of the surrounding area outside of their prison. The area around them was something of an valley, with their prison at the bottom. She had seen several cats outside of the vine-door, but not much else guarding them.

Another question she had managed to answer while sitting near the vine-door was the reason for their capture. Apparently, these rogues were holding any cat related to the clans so that their leader could see them. Although they weren't being specific, it was made pretty clear that the rogue leader was looking for a particular cat. If Gorsepaw had been the rogue leader, she figured she would've just went to the clans to look for her target.

Today was the day Gorsepaw decided she would tell Owlfall and Lily her plan. If they wanted to break out, everyone would have to be on the same page. Padding over to the two, she spoke up.

"Lily? Owlfall? I think I know how we can get out of here."

"Escape? Are you crazy? We'll die! You've barely been here for a week. How could you possibly know how to escape?" mewed Lily, her eyes widening. Gorsepaw had assumed they both wanted to leave as much as she did. She had not even considered that maybe they wouldn't be on board immediately.

"So you want to stay here? You're starving to death!" mewed Gorsepaw exasperatedly in response. Lily stood up and looked at Gorsepaw.

"Look, I want to get out of here as much as you do, but I also want to live. These rogues would surely kill us if we even attempted!" Gorsepaw looked at Owlfall for backup, but he too seemed to be on Lily's side.

"Won't you at least listen to my plan?" mewed Gorsepaw desperately. Lily stared at her for a moment longer, but finally sat down.

"Fine, go on then."

"Alright, I was thinking we could all camp by the door from now on. The next time they feed us, I'll push out the vine-door and charge out into the open. While they are all distracted, you two can sneak out from the side and get to safety. Then, once I see you two are safe, I'll run away." mewed Gorsepaw all in one breath. She had made her plan around the fact that Lily and Owlfall were both too weak to fight. Being the only still somewhat healthy cat, she would have to pick up the burden of protecting them. Lily almost immediately began shaking her head.

"Gorsepaw, I can tell by your size that you're still young. It isn't your responsibility to get us to safety," mewed Lily somewhat more empathetically. "I couldn't live with myself if I-," Lily stopped as she saw Owlfall stand up. He looked at her with a fiery determination in his eyes.

"We _need_ to get out of here, they barely feed us, and anything they do give us is crowfood. This could be a good chance. Gorsepaw is right." Lily practically exploded.

"Are you SERIOUS? You're saying you would rather let Gorsepaw go by herself so she can go out and DIE?" she roared angrily.

"I'm saying that I would rather _try_ to escape, rather than stay here and starve to death," he mewed resignedly. Gorsepaw was surprised at his ferocity considering only moments ago he had been quite hesitant. It didn't matter though, they had to get out of here. Lily was still staring daggers at Owlfall, however she unwittingly curled up a in pelt.

"Fine, but if Gorsepaw gets hurt, I'm going to kill you Owlfall. And I don't want to do that," she mewed angrily, before closing her eyes to sleep.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen."


	16. Chapter 15

**Hi again, I'm quite happy with this chapter, I like the way some of it turned out. I've been trying to write Gorsepaw's POV in the style of a sequel (although it's the first one) so that it feels like the world has a lot of history but please let me know if it becomes too confusing. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 15

An additional half moon had passed before Gorsepaw finally got another chance to break out. Every time they had been fed, there were too many cats outside that an escape would have been infeasible. However, she was running out of time. She had decided that the next time they were fed, they _must_ break out.

Gorsepaw sat at the vine-door, waiting. She was almost completely sure that they would be fed again today. Even if there were too many cats outside today, they would have to try to break out. The longer she stayed here, the weaker she got. Her plan would become impossible if she got too weak. Staring at the door, she used her tail to beckon Lily and Owlfall over. Owlfall immediately stood up and padded over, with Lily begrudgingly following. The trio sat together as they heard rustling and footsteps outside of the vine-door. Excruciating moments passed as they listened to the commotion outside. The plan was simple. Gorsepaw would run out first and get the attention of all of the rogues. Meanwhile, Lily and Owlfall could sneak out by the side of the den and get to safety. Gorsepaw wasn't completely sure how she would escape after that, but she was sure that she would figure it out when the time came. The footsteps outside slowly got closer and closer, signaling for Gorsepaw to get ready. As soon as the vine-door opened she would force her way outside. Several more pregnant moments passed before suddenly, the vine-door began to rustle. The rock was being moved away! Getting ready, Gorsepaw saw the vine-door begin to swing open. _Now!_

Jumping forward, she leapt onto the rogue that was opening the door. It was a small, wiry she-cat with bright blue eyes. She fell onto her back as Gorsepaw forced her way outside. She was immediately blinded by the bright light outside. Her eyes had to adjust to the sunlight! Stumbling around confusedly, she heard several yowls ring out before a huge weight crashed into her. Blinking rapidly, she tumbled with the attacker before managing to kick them off with her hind legs. Spinning around, she saw two more rogues coming towards her. Just as she was about to jump away, she saw Owlfall crash into them both.

"Owlfall! Run!" yowled Gorsepaw panickedly as she tried to help him. It was a miracle he had any strength in him at all. Several more rogues were already charging towards them. They were running out of time! Owlfall ignored her, instead he deftly turned and kicked with his legs, sending the rogue tumbling onto the floor.

"Gorsepaw listen to me, you're young and have a future. I know my kits are safe, that's enough for me. Get out of here while you still can!" he mewed quickly as he began to pummel at the second rogue with his front paws. Gorsepaw stared desperately at him. Guilt gnawed on her as she realized she didn't really know how his kits were. She had just made it up to reassure him.

"I can't leave you! What about WindClan? They'll never see you again!" she mewed desperately as she dodged a swipe from a rogue. Facing the rogue, she charged into him with her shoulder and sent him reeling back on to the floor. With her left paw, she swiped at his muzzle sending a long scratch down his nose.

"GORSEPAW!" he roared as he pushed a rogue off his back, "RUN. NOW!" Looking at Owlfall, Gorsepaw could see in his eyes that he was determined to do this. This would be his last stand. Turning around, she began to run towards the hills. _Why would he do this for me? We barely knew each other._ Turning around, she saw that the she-cat she had pushed over in the beginning was chasing after her. Gorsepaw had to fight her! Facing her, Gorsepaw leapt at her face. Gorsepaw's right paw connected with her muzzle, sending them both tumbling onto the floor. Recovering fast, she aimed a heavy blow right at the rogue's shoulder. A deep scratch scored down through the rogue's tawny fur as blood bursted from the wound. The rogue screeched in pain before running away back towards the main group. As Gorsepaw continued running away, she risked one final look at Owlfall. She saw him hiss mightily at a rogue before kicking at her. Suddenly a rogue landed on his back. His legs crumpled as he fell to the floor. Squirming, he tried to free himself from the rogue's grasp. But moons of starvation had taken its toll on his body. With one swift bite, she watched in horror as Owlfall went limp. She wished to StarClan that they would receive him peacefully.

The rogues had began to pursue her. She pushed herself harder as she ran towards the nearest structure. Suddenly, she saw Lily out of the corner of her eye. She was beckoning her to come towards a patch of reeds. Running towards Lily, she jumped into the reeds before crouching. Watching silently, the duo watched as the rogues ran past their hiding spot. After waiting for a few more moments, Gorsepaw dared to let out a breath.

"I think we're safe," mewed Gorsepaw at last. "Are you alright Lily?" Turning towards her, she saw her eyes wide.

"Owlfall, h-he sacrificed himself," mewed Lily, trembling. "I thought he would . . . I thought he would just run away."

"Why would you think that?" mewed Gorsepaw between breaths.

"I-I don't know, it's just . . . oh no." Gorsepaw realized that Owlfall's death must've impacted her significantly more than it impacted herself. After all, they had spent several moons trapped together in that prison. Surely they had become friends. On the other hand, Gorsepaw couldn't help but feel guilty that she didn't know him as well. They had spent only half a moon together. However, despite that he still sacrificed himself so that she could live. It didn't quite sit right with her that he would go so far for someone he hardly knew. Lily stayed crouched in the same spot, trembling. _I wonder what Lily saw Owlfall do that would make her think he was a coward._

Lily and Gorsepaw sat in the bush silently for a good while. Lily looked badly shaken. Gorsepaw tried to press into her side reassuringly, which prompted an hesitant but noticeably appreciative purr from her. Eventually, Lily spoke up.

"I assume you want to go back to the clans right?" mewed Lily. Gorsepaw looked up in surprise. In the time she had spent in the prison, she had completely forgot about going home.

"You know how to get to the clans?" she mewed excitedly.

"Well, I don't know personally. But I remember meeting some cats before that knew how to get there."

"The Barn!" mewed Gorsepaw, she had completely forgotten about her goal.

"So you're familiar. I know how to get there if you want to go," responded Lily.

"Of course I want to go! Could you lead me there?" Lily cracked a bittersweet smile and nodded.

o-o-o

Crickets chirped senselessly as Gorsepaw and Lily padded along a small dirt path. Night had long fallen as the nearby trees cast a dark shadow over the traveling duo. As they walked, Lily had hardly uttered a word to Gorsepaw. She didn't seem sad, just pensive, lost in thought. Gorsepaw desperately wanted to say something to her that could help lighten the mood, but it just didn't seem appropriate. As they traversed over the soft dirt, Lily spoke up for the first time in hours.

"There it is. I wonder if they'll be awake by the time we get there," mewed Lily softly. Gorsepaw looked towards the direction Lily was facing. A run down barn sat among huge, overgrown plants and trees. The foliage seemed to be consuming the wooden den, the only respite from its growth was the flaking, sloped roof that stood out of the plants. She could see the outline of a lone cat outside of the entrance of the barn. It had seemed to notice them as well, as it began to move around.

"Do you think we're trespassing?" asked Gorsepaw, she definitely didn't want to potentially spook her only way of getting home.

"It's alright, they take quite kindly to strangers. I'm sure they'll be quite happy to find out that you're from the clans." The approached the guard of the barn rather slowly, as to not seem threatening. The guard had returned with two other cats which quickly approached them.

"Who are you two?" the guard immediately asked once they got within hearing distance.

"My name is Lily, Berry will know me for sure. This is Gorsepaw. I'm trying to help her get back to the clans," mewed Lily directly.

"Lily! Welcome back, where've you been? You look terrible," responded one of the cats.

"You know those City runaways? They trapped me for a while. Gorsepaw and . . . someone I met there, we all broke out," answered Lily. Gorsepaw noticed how she conveniently jumped over Owlfall's name. Her voice didn't seem sad or pained at all however.

"Trapped?! Those cats have some nerve. Well come inside, we have plenty of mice," mewed the guard graciously as they began heading back to the barn.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" asked Gorsepaw as the began to enter the barn.

"Me? My name is Brian, don't bother asking what it means, my last Walker gave it to me." mewed the she-cat. "This is Stone," she gestured to the gray tom next to her, "and this is Tangle," she gestured again to the other cat. As they entered into the barn, she saw several cats curled up and asleep. Several cats were also huddled in a corner, whispering among themselves.

"So Gorsepaw, you're trying to get back to the Clans?" asked Brian. Gorsepaw saw Stone and Tangle meander off to join some other cats.

"That's right. I got lost about a moon ago, it's been quite a journey."

"Sounds like it. I can't believe you broke out of a prison," mewed Brian chuckling.

"Ah-er it wasn't really that pleasant actually," responded Gorsepaw, looking at Lily, she saw her flinch a little. Brian had noticed Lily looking uncomfortable and quickly dropped her tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she mewed apologetically, "anyways here are some mice if you two are hungry, which I'm sure you are." Gorsepaw saw two fat mice on the floor. Brian nudged them over to the two. "Eat up!" This was only Gorsepaw's second meal since the prison break out. After scarfing down the meal, she felt exhausted. It wasn't just tiredness from all the walking, it was the homesickness. The taste of the mouse had slammed the familiar tug of home right back onto Gorsepaw's shoulders.

"Are the Clans far from here?" asked Gorsepaw, cleaning her whiskers.

"Not really, probably a half day's journey at most," responded Brian, "I can't imagine how desperately you want to get home." Gorsepaw didn't respond. Rather, she just gave Brian a tired smile. "We have nests over here if you two want to get some rest." She led them over to a small overhang of wood. Below were two fresh moss nests lined with soft down feathers. "We keep them just in case travelers like you two come along," mewed Brian with a smile. Gorsepaw looked up at Lily again. She still didn't look too well, but the meal had evidently helped.

"We appreciate everything you've done for us Brian," mewed Lily.

"No problem! A friend of Berry is a friend of mine," responded Brian warmly before padding off.

"Gorsepaw?" mewed Lily.

"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."

Things were looking up again.


	17. Chapter 16

**Hi again, this one ends a little abruptly because it ended up being a bit too long and I had to cut it off. So glad the the first sub-arc "Lost" is finished after a bit over a month. Only three sub-arcs before the main story begins! I've always been a little torn having the blurb be about the main arc but start with a buildup. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 16

As soon as Gorsepaw woke, she jumped up. It was still early, the morning dew still clung lightly to the leaves. She could see that Brian was already up. Padding excitedly over, Brian looked up at her.

"Good morning, are you ready to go?" asked Brian as she groomed herself.

"Definitely, I'm so excited I'm not even hungry," mewed Gorsepaw, her fur was ruffled and ungroomed. She didn't care.

"That's cause you ate so late last night, of course you aren't hungry. Is Lily coming?" Gorsepaw looked over to the sleeping she-cat.

"I . . . I think so. Hold on," she mewed quickly before bounding over to Lily. She gently prodded her nose with a paw, waking her.

"Hur . . .? Gorsepaw?" she grunted as she woke up. She blinked a few times before looking up at her.

"Are you coming with me?" asked Gorsepaw. Lily still looked asleep, but after a moment she seemed to actually wake up.

"What- Of course!" mewed Lily as she got up. A quick grooming and Lily was ready to go. Brian was already waiting by the entrance of the barn. Once she saw that Gorsepaw and Lily were coming, she began to head out. Gorsepaw and Lily walked together while Brian lead the way up ahead.

"Look, Gorsepaw? I wanted to thank you again," mewed Lily as they headed uphill. The crisp morning air tickled Gorsepaw's whiskers.

"I don't know what there is to thank for, I didn't do anything," responded Gorsepaw truthfully. Lily had obviously had a lot to think about since they broke out of the prison. It seemed she had finally resolved whatever it was that was bothering her all day yesterday.

"It's not . . . it's that I want to thank you for clearing my mind." Gorsepaw looked at Lily confusedly. "Back in the prison? I had lost all motivation to fight. A part of me had given up and would rather wait it out than try to free myself." Lily's eyes seemed clear and bright today. Gorsepaw wasn't sure what she did that warranted this change in Lily, but she definitely didn't regret it. Although she was still thin, Gorsepaw could tell that she was stronger, more confident. Her dull pelt still hid her true colors, but Gorsepaw was sure that with time she would recover.

"I didn't do anything Lily, but I'm glad you figured it out."  
"You did Gorsepaw. I saw the way you fought for Owlfall even when he sacrificed himself. And after he died? You didn't let it pull you down. You took his gift in stride and continued to fight to get home." The guilt of lying to Owlfall about his kits came back to Gorsepaw full force. Owlfall had sacrificed his own life just so Gorsepaw could survive. He had kits and a family, yet he put his life before hers. _Why would he do that?_ It still bothered Gorsepaw that she didn't know the reason why. After a while, she finally responded.

"Owlfall did what he thought was best. Lily? I'm happy for you," responded Gorsepaw empathetically. Lily responded with a bright smile. All of a sudden, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. _ThunderClan scent!_ Brian had slowed so that they could catch up to her.

"You're from ThunderClan right? I thought so from your scent," mewed Brian, "so I lead you right to it! Was I right?"

"Brian! You're the best!" Brian couldn't help but give her chest a embarassed lick.

"Well, this is as far as I'm going to go. Beyond this is your territory. Lily, I'll be by that maple tree, just come over once you're ready." Lily nodded before looking at Gorsepaw again.

"Thank you Gorsepaw. Even if you don't realize what you've done, I appreciate it. Maybe one day, I'll be able to repay the favor."

"I'll remember that, Lily," mewed Gorsepaw, she couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness wash over her.

"Gorsepaw. If you ever need _anything,_ anything at all, don't hesitate to come find me. If I'm not by the barn, just ask for Berry. She'll know where I am.

"Alright Lily, it was great to meet you," mewed Gorsepaw. It was strange. Although she hardly knew Lily longer than she knew Owlfall, she felt as if she had know Lily for a lifetime. It felt more like saying goodbye to an old friend than to a loner she met randomly. Turning around, everything felt as if it were in slow motion. Her paws padded through the familiar forest floor while the clear scent of trees and pines filled her nose. Eventually she saw Lily turn towards the maple tree and pad away. Gorsepaw sighed. She was finally back home. She broke out in a sprint. Quick leaps and bounds brought her through the forest at a breakneck speed. She couldn't wait to see everyone again. Her mother, her sister, her dad, maybe even Vinepaw, maybe. Her pawsteps became a rhythm as she ran through the forest. The lake was to her right, its soft sound of waves matched her steps as she bounded towards her destination. Up ahead, she could spot the massive figure of the Great Oak. Prey scents wreathed around her, in the entire time she was lost she had only had actual forest prey a few times. Her jaws watered at the possible chance to half some familiar fresh-kill, but she pushed the thought aside. Right now, her main priority was to get back to the camp and let everyone know she was still alive. _Right there! The entrance to the camp!_ Gorsepaw put on a burst of speed as she burst through the entrance . . . and crashed into Eaglebreeze. The two tumbled into the soft camp dirt.

"WHAT IN STARCLAN'S NAME, WATCH WHER-." Eaglebreeze froze as he stared at Gorsepaw.

"Uh . . . I'm back." mewed Gorsepaw abashedly. She didn't mean to run him over, but admittedly she wasn't watching where she was going either. Eaglebreeze's eyes widened.

"Gorsepaw! You're alive!" he mewed warmly, it was probably the most affectionate tone she had ever heard him use. Several cats had already started coming out of their dens to see the commotion. Gorsepaw saw her dad poke his head out of the warriors den in interest. When he spotted her his eyes widened to the size of moons.

"GORSEPAW'S ALIVE!" he roared happily as he ran over to her. He covered her in affectionate licks. Gorsepaw felt uncomfortable at all the attention she was getting, especially from her dad. Oakfur was a good dad, but he had never treated her so intimately She saw her mother rushing over, even Swallowstar looked out from her den.

"My poor kit! We all thought you died!" choked Goldenwhisker as she pressed herself against Gorsepaw. After a moment her mother rested her tail on her back and looked at her. "Where have you been? You disappeared almost a moon ago!"

"I got lost and ended up some place called the City. I'm back now though, aren't I?" responded Gorsepaw.

"The City! You are lucky to even be alive! I can't believe you would go out exploring that far by yourself. You didn't even think about what would happen!" scolded her mother. Gorsepaw desperately wanted to argue, but she knew her mother's worries were justified.

"Why are you so skinny?" asked his father in his signature gravelly voice. Gorsepaw didn't want to tell them that she had been stuck in a prison for half a moon. Her mother would probably fall over and die on the spot.

"I-uh . . . I-there wasn't much prey in the city," finished Gorsepaw unconvincingly. Oakfur looked noticeably suspicious at this. Goldenwhisker cut in before he could ask anything more though.

"Blackeye was freaking out after you disappeared. He thought he had gotten you killed by letting you go off by yourself. It'll probably help him a lot to see you alive and well again. He has really beaten himself up," mewed Goldenwhisker.

"Where is he right now?" responded Gorsepaw guiltily. _Blackeye had been worried about me._

"He's out in a hunting patrol right now. I'm sure he'll be back soon," answered her mother. "Anyways, eats something! You look like you haven't ate in a moon!" Gorsepaw winced. It wasn't that far from the truth. As the commotion began to die down, Gorsepaw padded over to the meager fresh-kill pile and picked out a bushy squirrel. As she ate, the familiar gamey taste of forest prey filled her jaws. It felt good to be back home. She wondered where the apprentices were right now. They were all probably out training. It dawned on Gorsepaw that she'll probably become a warrior a moon late because of getting lost. She sighed in disappointment. All those moons of hard work had been for nothing.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw was lounging about when he saw the morning hunting patrol returning, their jaws laden with prey. The patrol was made of Blackeye, Chestnutbriar, and Vinepaw. They deposited their bounty in the fresh-kill pile before splitting up. Gorsepaw considered talking to Vinepaw but settle things with Blackeye first. She spotted Blackeye moseying slowly towards the warriors den. Standing up, she began to walk towards him. Blackeye didn't notice her at first. However even by the time she got up to him, he didn't realize who it was.

"Hi Blackeye," mewed Gorsepaw with the most inconspicuous tone she could muster. Blackeye looked at her blankly for a second before realizing who it was. As soon as it hit him, he nearly fell over.

"G-Gorsepaw?" he mewed incredulously, "you're alive?"

"I found my way back just earlier today," responded Gorsepaw. Blackeye looked as if he didn't know how to react. He opened mouth to say something, but then closed it. "Goldenwhisker says that you blame yourself for me getting lost. It's not your fault. I was just too careless." Blackeye dipped his head in shame.

"It _is_ my fault. I got too distracted by Shrewtooth that I wasn't careful enough." he sighed, "I told you I'd be the best mentor but I ended up being the only mentor to _lose_ his apprentice." Gorsepaw couldn't help but chuckle at that.

" _You_ didn't lose me, _I_ lost myself." Blackeye couldn't help but smile with her.

"Thanks for that Gorsepaw. I'll do my best-no I'll do better than that, and I'll _definitely_ not lose you again," he said, half-joking. It was good to see Blackeye's humor returning.

"When can we resume training?" asked Gorsepaw. She wanted to start as soon as possible to make up for the fact that she'd been gone for an entire moon.

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Swallowstar when she isn't busy." Gorsepaw saw out of the corner of her eye that Shrewtooth was standing in front of the warriors den, looking at the two. Blackeye fidgeted.

"I think I'll let you two get to whatever you need to do," mewed Gorsepaw with a smirk. Blackeye breathed a quick thanks before padding over to Shrewtooth. _Did he really learn his listen about Shrewtooth?_ Shaking her head, she turned around, right into Vinepaw.

"Oh! Uh, hi Vinepaw," mewed Gorsepaw, surprised. His eyes were wide like saucers as he stared at her. He stepped up to her and pressed himself into her. Gorsepaw could feel that he was trembling.

"You're alive," he breathed, voice laced with relief. Gorsepaw smiled. The two of them stayed like that for a couple moments before he peeled himself off of her.

"I'm so glad you're back," he mewed happily. Although his eyes were blue and glistening, Gorsepaw could tell there was a hidden layer of pain underneath. She looked at him concernedly.

"Vinepaw, ah-um, are you alright?" asked Gorsepaw. It took a moment before Vinepaw responded.

"Well I'm Vine _feather_ now. And . . . well . . . I'm alright now that you're back."

"You're a warrior now?" mewed Gorsepaw, surprised. She knew that Vinefeather was further along in his apprenticeship than her, but she hadn't expected him to be that close to becoming a warrior.

"Yeah, I got my ceremony shortly after you disappeared. Look, I'm going to grab a bite to eat, then do you want to um, take a walk with me outside?" he asked, looking down at the ground.

"Huh? Sure."

"Great," he mewed, ears perking up. Gorsepaw watched as he bounded over to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a mouse. He scarfed it down so quickly Gorsepaw was sure he inhaled it. After cleaning his paws and his whiskers, he came back. "Ready."

Gorsepaw wondered what Vinefeather had to say.


	18. Chapter 17

**Hi again, whew finally finished this chapter. We are finally around a third of the way through the story. Currently the story plan ends the story in about 30 chapters. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Warrior:** I'm not too sure what you mean. Me…?

 **Stupidsally35:** I don't know, we'll have to see. :)

Chapter 17

Vinefeather padded down a slanted slope as the duo headed for somewhere. Gorsepaw wasn't sure where exactly he was headed. But even more intriguing was why Vinefeather had specifically requested to talk about this outside of camp. Various thoughts passed through her mind as he followed him down a small path. However, it became immediately obvious where they were headed after a couple of moments. They approached the accursed badger set from the left, the hole in the ground was still the same, untouched. Gorsepaw winced. _Did Vinefeather know I got lost in a tunnel?_ Once they arrived at the hole, Vinefeather leaped in. Gorsepaw hesitated for a moment before following him through. As her eyes adjusted she began to realize what had really happened behind her. A massive section of the ceiling and the wall had collapsed into a mound that stretched almost as far as the stream. Vinefeather turned to face her.

"Do you see this? After you disappeared, I tracked your scent into here. When I arrived, I saw this massive landslide. Your scent ended here," he gestured at a spot right at the base of the mound. Gorsepaw saw that a significant portion of the mound had been dug out. "I was sure you got buried alive or trapped in the tunnels. I even tried digging but the mound was just way too big." Gorsepaw stared at the mound.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked.

"I'm showing you this because I wanted you to see what we found. We all thought you were _dead,_ Gorsepaw," responded Vinefeather. Gorsepaw looked at Vinefeather. He looked genuinely shaken.

"I'm sorry Vinefeather. I'm sorry for making everyone worry." Vinefeather looked at her, his bright blue eyes were shimmering.

"Gorsepaw. Promise me. Promise me that you won't risk your life on dangerous things like that ever again," mewed Vinefeather in an austere tone.

"What? Vinefeather there is going to be _plenty_ of dangerous situations in the future. I can't promise that!" disagreed Gorsepaw.

"I'm not saying that you can never do anything at all! I just don't want you to risk your life for pointless things like a figure in the tunnels! These tunnels aren't safe. You should know that best out of everyone!"

"Vinefeather. I admit going into the tunnels by myself was an extremely mouse-brain thing to do. But you can't just tell me to never do anything remotely dangerous again! And there _was_ a figure in these tunnels. What if it was a rogue? Could you imagine if there was a rogue living on our territory?"

"Look, the figure isn't important. What I'm saying is I don't want you to approach everything like you're invincible. I know there'll be more dangers in the future but Gorsepaw . . . I _care_ about you. I want you to be _safe._ If something happened to you I don't know what I would do. All I want is for you to be more careful about things like this,"

"I _am_ careful! That's why I'm alive right now!" retorted Gorsepaw furiously. It dawned on her that they were practically yelling at each other at this point. Vinefeather looked hurt, his blue ey- _Why am I focusing on his eyes so much?_ Gorsepaw shook her head.

"Can't you just promise me you'll be more cautious at least?" pleaded Vinefeather. A part of Gorsepaw wanted to argue with him, to tell him that he can't just control her. However, she realized that he was just looking out for her and that she had to swallow her pride as well. Gorsepaw sighed.

"Alright, I promise I'll be more cautious from now on. I'm sorry for yelling." Vinefeather cracked her a smile.

"I'm sorry as well," responded Vinefeather, albeit more warmly. "Let's get back to camp."

o-o-o

As they walked into camp, Gorsepaw saw Brackenpaw carrying moss towards the medicine den. Vinefeather, seeing that Gorsepaw was about to go talk to her, spoke up.

"Go talk to your sister. I'll be by the warriors' den. We can talk later if you want." Gorsepaw looked at him with appreciation.

"Thanks, and I-uh . . . I care about you too Vinefeather," mewed Gorsepaw slightly abashedly. Vinefeather grinned bittersweetly, before walking away. Speeding up, she caught up with Brackenpaw. Brackenpaw looked back at her before turning to face her. Her eyes widened when she saw her.

"Y-you're . . . " she stuttered.

"Yeah, I'm back," responded Gorsepaw, she couldn't help but smile at how stunned Brackenpaw was.

"Gorsepaw, Vinefeather told everyone you had died in the tunnels. How'd you get out?" Gorsepaw was a little shocked that Brackenpaw had spoken so many words at once, but she got over it pretty quickly. After all, she already knew that Rabbitpaw had rubbed off of her. Gorsepaw realized that Rabbitpaw was probably named something else now.

"The tunnel had another opening on the other side. I managed to run out before I got trapped completely," answered Gorsepaw. Brackenpaw looked significantly bigger and stronger than before. She even looked a bit more confident. _It's amazing what a difference a moon can make!_

"I'm happy that you're alive," mewed Brackenpaw. However, she had stated it so bluntly that it seemed disingenuous

"How's Rabbitpaw? She's a warrior now right?" inquired Gorsepaw

"Oh, that's right. She's named Rabbitfur now," responded Brackenpaw. She thought for a moment before continuing. "Also, I got to go to my first gathering. I'm sure Swallowstar will let you come this moon." _That's right! I haven't been to a gathering yet._ Gorsepaw couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she had missed her first gathering.

"What was it like?" mewed Gorsepaw. Even if she didn't get to go, at least she could feel happy for her sister.

"Oh! It was really great. There were a lot of cats, more than I've ever seen. I met this nice apprentice named Puddlepaw." Brackenpaw blushed. Gorsepaw was impressed, her sister had really really made a friend! "Swallowstar got angry at Fernstar. I think we are going to have a war with ShadowClan."

"ShadowClan is still stealing prey?" mewed Gorsepaw worriedly. The last thing she wanted now that she finally got back was to go to war with another clan.

"Fernstar said that they had to take prey because twolegs went into their territory and wiped out a big marsh. Swallowstar got angry because ShadowClan didn't ask and hurt warriors on patrol." A small part of Gorsepaw wanted to give ShadowClan the benefit of the doubt, but she quickly squashed that though after remembering what happened to Rabbitfur.

"If it does come to war, we'll make them pay for everything they've done," mewed a voice behind Gorsepaw. Turning around, she saw Blackeye approach them.

"I just asked Swallowstar. She said that we can resume training whenever you're ready," he mewed.

"I'm so ready! I didn't realize how much I'd miss training until I actually lost it." Blackeye beamed.

I'm glad you feel that way. We'll start first thing tomorrow," he responded, "I'll let you relax today, considering the circumstances."

o-o-o

Gorsepaw spent a good amount of time catching up with everyone. Once she had talked to everyone she cared about, she spent the rest of the day relaxing with Vinefeather. Vinefeather had been assigned to the evening patrol, but Cloudwhisper had re-assigned him to tomorrow on account of "important matters at hand." Gorsepaw never knew that Cloudwhisper had a more light-hearted side but Gorsepaw certainly didn't argue against it.

Sitting with Vinefeather, she saw Pigeonpaw approach them. Gorsepaw had asked for some clean moss bedding. Once Pigeonpaw got to them, she dropped the moss in front of Gorsepaw.

"There's your moss! It's a little wet but it should dry out by the time you sleep," mewed Pigeonpaw helpfully. Gorsepaw bent over to pick up the moss.

"Mwhanks Mwigeonmaw," mumbled Gorsepaw through a mouthful of moss.

"Of course." As Pigeonpaw padded away, she realized that Vinefeather would be sleeping in the warriors' den. She saw Vinefeather moseying around the entrance of the warriors' den, looking straight at her. After dropping off the moss in her nest, she padded up to him. Gorsepaw spoke first.

"I guess we won't be able to share a spot together anymore," mewed Gorsepaw rather disheartened.

"Don't worry, my spot is near the back corner of the den. I'm sure there is space for you to put your nest once you become a warrior," he responded. The warmth in his voice had returned, seemingly recounting the 'fight' they had in the badger set. Gorsepaw smiled, Vinefeather could be a bit frustrating at times but he was a good cat at heart. "If you want, I can ask Blackeye tomorrow whether we can go hunting after training."

"Yeah! That'd be great," mewed Gorsepaw excitedly, "I'll beg Blackeye as well. He might not be too keen on me going out again considering what happened," Vinefeather couldn't help but snicker.

"I'm sure he'll agree. Tomorrow," he agreed before heading into the den. Gorsepaw tiredly padded towards the apprentice den. Inside, she saw Brackenpaw curled up by herself. _Oh, that's right, Rabbitfur is gone too._ Padding up to her sister, she curled up next to her, pressing her back against her sister's. She felt Brackenpaw shift before settling in. _It's just like the nursery again_.

o-o-o

Gorsepaw opened her eyes. Rather than being greeted by the soft filtering of sunlight, it was a huge gust of blowing wind. Stumbling up, she looked around in terror as rain crashed onto her back. _Where am I!?_ She pushed against the howling wind as she realized where she was. It seemed to be a cliff or ledge of some sort. Below the ledge was water, water that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Massive waves of water slammed against the rock ledge. In the pouring rain, she saw a faint silhouette of a cat. His pelt clung to his gaunt, jutting bones. In every sense, he was massive. Even in the distance, Gorsepaw could tell that he easily doubled her size. The figure turned towards her and began to approach her. _Should I run?_ Gorsepaw thought about it for a moment but decided to hold her ground. She saw the figure open his jaws to speak.

"Gorsepaw . . ." it rasped. That voice was familiar, Gorsepaw was certain she had heard it before.

"Who are you?!" yowled Gorsepaw, trying to make herself heard above the loud howling of the wind.

"My name . . . Foxstar . . . need . . . help," he rasped, the winds blowing away some of his words.

"What?! SPEAK UP!" yowled Gorsepaw again.

"Go . . . badger . . ." Gorsepaw stared helplessly as the ledge and the rain began to break apart and dissipate. As the terrain crumbled around her, the figure seemed to stand still. Looking straight at . . . no _into_ her. Then she felt as if she were falling. She flailed her limbs to no avail. Falling, falling, falling right into her safe moss nest next to Brackenpaw. _It was all dream!_ She sighed with relief. But as she began to wake up, she remembered her dream. _I met Foxstar! It was raining and . . . go badger? The badger set!_ That was definitely where Foxstar wanted her to go. There was no way she'd be able to go in the morning, but as soon as training finished, she would go.


	19. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the extremely late post! Between school and slightly being burned out I haven't really gotten much done. Hopefully I get back into the groove of things soon.**

Chapter 18

Gorsepaw's chest heaved as she laid on the soft forest grass. Blackeye looked down at her approvingly. They had done nothing but battle training all day. Due to the fact that Brackenpaw was busy today, Gorsepaw had no other practice partner other than Blackeye. If she didn't know better, she would've thought that Blackeye is the best warrior in the entirety of ThunderClan. Whenever she tried to attack him, he'd counter any move she made with a move of his own. Interestingly enough, this always ended with her slamming hard into the forest floor. She had only managed to get one good hit on Blackeye, although she suspected it was only because he felt pity for her.

"Good effort Gorsepaw. That'll be enough for today," mewed Blackeye, seemingly not tired at all. Gorsepaw was too tired to respond. Instead, she just laid, limbs splayed out, in the clearing. Blackeye smiled and rolled his eyes. "Hey, come on. Get up." Begrudgingly, she pulled herself up on her paws.

"Are we really going to train like this every day?" mewed Gorsepaw.

"How else are we going to catch up to Tigerstreak and Brackenpaw?" replied Blackeye with a flick of his tail, "come on, let's get back to camp." Gorsepaw took a ginger step forward. Her leg wobbled dangerously, threatening to give out and make her fall. Blackeye was already disappearing into the bushes. Gritting her teeth, Gorsepaw ran after him. After a brief moment, she caught up with him. Her exhausted legs still felt weak and unsupportive but she wanted to prove to Blackeye that she could endure.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" asked Gorsepaw.

"I think we'll continue with battle moves, there's still some room for you to improve with several of the moves." Gorsepaw sighed but didn't disagree. She knew that Blackeye was just trying to help her go through training faster, but she couldn't help but wish that things would slow down a little. As the pair headed towards the camp, Gorsepaw saw the familiar entrance of the badger set approach them. _Why do I keep ending up back here?_ Blackeye looked uncomfortable as he walked by the hole. Gorsepaw tried to make it seem like she was uninterested, but she couldn't help but sneak a peek in. Standing next to the stream was the cat in her dream. However, the cat was noticeably more well-fed and well-groomed. The tom looked up at Gorsepaw and mewed something, but the soft gurgling of the stream masked the sound. Gorsepaw's eyes widened as she continued after Blackeye. _I have to come back later._

Finally, the sweet respite of the camp entrance came into view. Feeling a surge of energy, Gorsepaw pushed forward through the thorn barrier into the camp. She saw Vinefeather sitting nearby the fresh-kill pile. Padding up to him, she spoke first.

"What are you doing back in camp?" she mewed as she neared him.

"I was supposed to be on the hunting patrol, but Tigerstreak had replaced me so now I'm left in camp," he mewed as he prodded a leftover squirrel from yesterday's hunt. "I think this one is crow-food now." Gorsepaw sniffed at the dead squirrel. The scent was sour causing Gorsepaw to wrinkle her nose at the stench. Seeing her reaction, Vinefeather lightly picked up the squirrel and started heading out of camp to bury it. Following him, Gorsepaw wondered if it would be a good idea if she asked Vinefeather to come with her to the badger set again. Last night's dream weighed heavily on her mind as Vinefeather began to dig a hole.

"Hey, Vinefeather . . . ?"

"Mmm?" mumbled Vinefeather through a mouthful of rancid squirrel fur.

"I think there's something waiting for me at the badger set," she mewed hesitantly, watching Vinefeather's face for any sign of a negative reaction. He didn't respond but Gorsepaw saw him looking at her while digging. "I was wondering if you could come with me." Vinefeather dropped the squirrel in the hole and began to cover it again.

"Of _course_ I'll come with you Gorsepaw. If you had asked me the-"

"I get it, no need to bring it up," cut in Gorsepaw tartly.

"Ahem, right. I have nothing to do today anyway, let's go."

"Right now?" asked Gorsepaw, surprised. She hadn't expected Vinefeather to go with her so easily.

"Why not? It isn't like you're that busy. And I don't think Blackeye assigned you any apprentice duties today because otherwise, that's what you'd be doing right now," deducted Vinefeather. Gorsepaw had to admit, his analysis was pretty accurate.

"Alright fine, let me get something to eat though." Gorsepaw padded back into camp towards the meager fresh-kill pile. Once she got there, she picked up a slightly stale thrush from the pile and headed back the Vinefeather. "Share?"

"Of course," mewed Vinefeather before bending down and taking a bite. Gorsepaw did the same, letting the forest taste run over her tongue. The two finished the thrush in a matter of moments. Gorsepaw wasn't quite full but she wanted to wait for the evening hunting patrol to return with fresh prey, rather than eat the stale morning prey. After cleaning her whiskers, Gorsepaw was ready to go. With Vinefeather in tow, the duo headed towards the badger den. Along the way, Gorsepaw was silent. She couldn't stop thinking about what the dream was about. The cliff that Foxstar was standing on was nothing like anything she had ever seen. The water seemed to stretch infinitely as if that was all there was passed the horizon. Before Gorsepaw knew it, they had arrived at the badger set. Vinefeather peered in curiously.

"Why did you want to come here again?" he asked, intrigued. Gorsepaw wasn't sure how to answer him. _Do I just tell him the truth? That I saw a dream telling me to come here?_ Gorsepaw shuffled her paws uncomfortably. Vinefeather looked up at her awkward fidgeting and smiled. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No. I trust you but you can't tell any cat, alright?"

"I promise. If I tell you can eat my tail."

"Blech, any tail but yours." Vinefeather batted at her playfully. Gorsepaw was hit by the nostalgic feeling of being kits again. She sighed.

"I had a dream last night. I was standing at the cliff. There was another cat with me, he called himself Foxstar. He told me to come to the badger set," she briefly recalled.

"Foxstar? _The_ Foxstar? Like the one from all those stories that Ivyflame tells?" asked Vinefeather incredulously.

"I think so. He was bony and thin in the dream though, like-"

"Like how you looked when you first came back?" Gorsepaw glared at him and Vinefeather gulped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I couldn't help it," he mewed shamefully, dipping his head. Gorsepaw rolled her eyes. Turning back towards the badger set, she leaped in. The massive collapse was still in its original spot, unmoved. She looked around, nothing seemed to be different from before. The bubbling stream gurgled quietly and the light still filtered through the dusty air. Gorsepaw heard Vinefeather jump in as well, making a soft _thump_ noise.

"Why do you think he told me to come here?" asked Gorsepaw rhetorically. _What could the badger set have to-the tunnel cat!_ Gorsepaw was quivering with excitement. Could it be possible that Foxstar was the mysterious tunnel cat she saw? "Vinefeather! You know how I kept seeing that figure? I think maybe it might be Foxstar!" mewed Gorsepaw, spinning around towards Vinefeather. No one was behind her.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Vinefeather, by the small stream. Gorsepaw turned around. Didn't Vinefeather just jump in?

"Weren't you behind me?" asked Gorsepaw confusedly.

"I jumped in first. What are you talking about?" replied Vinefeather, equally confused. Gorsepaw turned again to face the entrance, only to face a huge looming figure. The cat in front of her was enormous, each of his paws was as large as the stones by the RiverClan border. His legs were like tree trunks, and his broad shoulders blocked out the light of the entrance. His orange fur glittered in the darkness. As he took a step towards her she saw huge muscles ripple under his pelt, silently implying his strength.

"That was probably me," he gruffly admitted. Gorsepaw fell over onto her back and scrambled to back away.

"W-what are you? Get away!" stuttered Gorsepaw. She felt Vinefeather rush over and press against her.

"Gorsepaw, are you alright? Are you seeing something?" he whispered worriedly. She felt Vinefeather rest his tail reassuringly on her back.

"D-don't you see him?" mewed Gorsepaw, still shaking.

"See what? Gorsepaw you have to tell me if something is wrong. We can go back to camp if you want."

"He can't see me, actually most cats can't see me. I'm not actually quite sure why you can see me either."

"Are you Foxstar?" mewed Gorsepaw. She was trembling less now, the shock of seeing him slowly waning.

"That's me. We talked last night. I'm glad you came," he replied. Gorsepaw didn't know how to respond. She remembered Ivyflame gushing about how big and strong Foxstar was, but she didn't truly understand the magnitude of his size until now. "You should probably let your friend know before he freaks out anymore." Gorsepaw looked at Vinefeather and realized what he meant. He was staring at her, not Foxstar, with wide, anxious eyes.

"Vinefeather, don't freak out. You can't see him but Foxstar is right in front of us," explained Gorsepaw. As soon as she finished explaining she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Her explanation did little to dissuade Vinefeather's worry.

"H-hey Gorsepaw, I know you've been pretty shaken up. Let's go back and get some rest." mewed Vinefeather.

"No!" Gorsepaw immediately regretted yowling and quickly backtracked, "sorry, sorry, I mean I can't, he's right there! Look, I'm not going crazy, just give me a moment." Vinefeather looked at her for a moment longer before conceding.

"Alright. I'll wait for you outside." Gorsepaw watched as Vinefeather quietly padded towards the entrance before hopping out. She turned back towards Foxstar.

"Why'd you tell me to come here? What happened? Aren't you _dead_?" asked Gorsepaw.

"I . . . I think I need your help Gorsepaw. I'm not sure why you can see me but it's a miracle you can. Yes I am dead, but I haven't been able to go to StarClan." answered Foxstar. Gorsepaw was still slightly intimidated talking to someone double her size, but she swallowed her fears. "I'm not sure. I've thought about it a lot in the moons I've been here. I think it's because this badger set is different."

"Different?"  
"I don't know if elders tell this story. I doubt it considering it isn't really kit-friendly. Do you know who Thorn is?" asked Foxstar.

"Yeah! Golden told me about him. Didn't he go insane?" replied Gorsepaw knowledgeably.

"How do you know Golden? I thought she went back to the City!" wondered Foxstar.

"I-uh, it's a long story," mewed Gorsepaw abashedly. Foxstar seemed curious but continued.

"This place was Thorn's execution grounds, many Clan cats lost their lives here." Gorsepaw looked at him in horror, she had no idea this quaint little area had such a morbid past. "This was the place I died at as well. I think because of this place's history StarClan might not have their reach here."

"Shouldn't other there be other spirits here then?" asked Gorsepaw. Surely if this place was an execution ground all the spirits of those who were executed would remain here as well.

"I don't know," mewed Foxstar sadly, "they could be in StarClan for all I know, or they could be lost like me." Gorsepaw was about to ask more questions when she saw Vinefeather poke his head into the badger set.

"Hi uh, Gorsepaw? Sorry to um, interrupt your conversation but it's getting dark outside. We should probably head back."

"Don't worry, I'll still be here," mewed Foxstar. Suddenly, Gorsepaw remembered her most burning question.

"Why did you run from me those times when I saw you?" asked Gorsepaw. If he hadn't run from her a lot of the troubles she went through wouldn't have happened.

"Run? When did I run from you?" asked Foxstar, arching an eyebrow. Gorsepaw opened her mouth to continue but she saw Foxstar slowly dimming as the sunset outside.

"I'll come as soon as I can," promised Gorsepaw.

"Very well. I'll be waiting here." Gorsepaw nodded in acknowledgment before heading out of the badger set to join Vinefeather. As she walked she wondered what she was doing. _Should I help him? Of course I should! He's Foxstar! It's my responsibility if I'm the only cat that can see him._ As soon as she exited the set Vinefeather stood up and padded over.

"So, how was everything?" he mewed. Gorsepaw could see that he was trying to remain serious.

"I'm not crazy! I promise!" mewed Gorsepaw desperately, trying to save face. But she couldn't help but wonder whether or not helping a strange ghost in a badger set constituted her as crazy.

"I know you aren't, come on let's get back." _Am I crazy?_


	20. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the slow updates recently. School has been ramping up and I haven't found much time to write. On top of that, I've had some serious writer's block concerning where to take the story next. Unfortunately, this is the last chapter I have completed at the moment. With Thanksgiving coming up hopefully I'll be able to finish a few more chapters. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 19

Gorsepaw laid in a warm sunspot, nursing her bruises from the day's training. It had been a few days since her last visit to the badger set. She had not had an opportunity to go visit Foxstar again. She wondered if Foxstar was waiting for her every day. She was going to try to sneak out today, but right now it was time to relax.

"May all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather by the Highledge!" yowled Swallowstar. Gorsepaw groaned. Cats all around the camp poked their heads out of dens in curiosity. Forcing herself to get up, she padded stiffly over to Vinefeather and Rabbitfur.

"What's this all about?" asked Gorsepaw as she looked up towards the rock ledge that Swallowstar was standing on.

"You don't know?" asked Rabbitfur in response, turning to look at her.

"Know what?"

"Your sister is becoming a warrior!" mewed Rabbitfur, shifting her paws in excitement.

"Wha-really? Brackenpaw?" Gorsepaw had no clue that Brackenpaw was close to becoming a warrior. In fact, she hadn't even known that Brackenpaw had been assessed! A small nagging feeling of jealousy crept into her mind. _This should be my ceremony too._ She thought bitterly. At the base of the ledge, she saw Brackenpaw talking to Tigerstreak. She sighed, it wasn't like she _wanted_ to get lost for a moon. Waiting silently, she saw Brackenpaw and start to climb up the fallen rocks, up to where Swallowstar was standing. Swallowstar bent down and whispered something to Brackenpaw before resting her tail on Brackenpaw's back. After a moment, Swallowstar looked back up to address the gathered cats.

"Brackenpaw has worked hard all of these moons to learn the virtues and lessons of being a warrior. Tigerstreak and I both agree it is time for her to get her warrior name." Yowls of congratulations and agreements rang out across the clearing. After a moment, Swallowstar flicked her tail to quiet the yowling. "I, Swallowstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to watch over this apprentice. She worked hard to learn your noble code and I commend her abilities to become a warrior." Brackenpaw shifted uncomfortably, trying to stand upright. "Brackenpaw, do you vow to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?

"I-I do," mewed Brackenpaw.

"Then by the powers vested in StarClan, I hereby grant you your warrior name. Brackenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Brackenstep. StarClan honors your dedication, from this point on you will be a full warrior of ThunderClan." Even after Swallowstar finished her spiel, Brackenstep still looked terrified.

"Brackenstep! Brackenstep!" yowled cats all around the clearing. Brackenstep dipped her head in embarrassment. After a couple moments, the crowd began to disperse. Gorsepaw still felt a little bitter about not being made warrior as well, but she put on a happy face and bounded up to Brackenstep. Brackenstep was smiling as she stepped down from a rock, but when she saw Gorsepaw her face became more downcast.

"I'm sorry Gorsepaw, we should be warriors together," mewed Brackenstep sadly. Gorsepaw's jealousy faded a little. At least Brackenstep was empathetic about her situation. Gorsepaw sighed. As much as it bothered her to still remain an apprentice, it didn't make sense to her to stay unhappy about it.

"It's alright," mewed Gorsepaw, cracking a smile, "besides, _I'm_ not going to have to sit up all night." The color seemed to drain from Brackenstep's face. She had definitely forgotten. Brackenstep looked around her, then checked behind her, before speaking up.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Swallowstar mentioned that you'll become a warrior soon too," whispered Brackenstep.

"Really?" mewed Gorsepaw quietly, trying to hide her excitement.

"She said that all she really needed to see was something that proves that you deserve to become a warrior." Gorsepaw felt her motivation returning to her. Perhaps she wouldn't remain an apprentice for long! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rabbitfur approaching.

"Congratulations Brackenstep!" mewed Rabbitfur lively, "Vinefeather and I were wondering if you wanted to come hunting with us since we are all warr-." Rabbitfur cut herself off in horror as she noticed Gorsepaw looking at her.

"I-I uh, ahem. G-gorsepaw, you can come too! Um, if you want," flustered Rabbitfur. Gorsepaw rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"It's fine. I have something to do anyway," mewed Gorsepaw reassuringly. Rabbitfur's fur smoothed as she sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry Gorsepaw. I'm sure it won't be long before you become a warrior too."

"Thanks, Rabbitfur, I hope so. Anyways, you three can go out hunting if you want. I'll be fine," mewed Gorsepaw. Gorsepaw watched as Brackenstep followed Rabbitfur towards the entrance of the camp. Right before she left the camp, Brackenstep turned to look at Gorsepaw. Gorsepaw nodded towards her with a smile. Brackenstep hesitated before following Rabbitfur out the camp. _This is a great time to go see Foxstar again!_ Gorsepaw looked around for Blackeye but didn't see him. Coincidentally, Shrewtooth was missing as well. _They must have gone outside together._ Trying to seem inconspicuous, she slowly padded towards dirt-place, hoping to use the familiar exit. Entering dirt-place, she pretended to be busy before quickly hopping into the reeds. Tumbling through, she landed on the familiar mound of dirt that was on the other side. Shaking the dirt off her, she quickly began heading towards the badger set. As she was running, Gorsepaw looked up towards the sky. The sun was already beginning to approach the horizon. She would not have much time to talk to Foxstar before the sunset. Pushing herself, she sped up as she ran towards the badger set. Finally, the familiar surroundings appeared as she burst through an undergrove. Without thinking, she jumped into the hole and landed gracefully on her paws. _Where is he?_ Gorsepaw looked around the large cove. Suddenly, she heard a soft _thump thump_ of pawsteps sound from one of the tunnels. Turning to it, Gorsepaw saw Foxstar pad out of one of the tunnel entrances.

"You finally came," he mewed while hopping down to the floor below.

"I'm sorry it took so long. I didn't get another opportunity to do so until now," mewed Gorsepaw. Foxstar's tail flicked as he came up to her.

"Gorsepaw. Is Sunfur still alive?" he asked.

"He's fine. Blazepelt is doing fine as well." mewed Gorsepaw. She had guessed that Foxstar probably wanted to know about his children. Foxstar nodded thoughtfully.

"Good. Good. I was thinking actually, maybe it would be helpful to bring Sunfur here. Back when he was an apprentice, he would always go on and on about visions and dreams. Our medicine cat at the time, Thrushwing, tried to help figure out what it all meant but he never did solve it. Perhaps a medicine cat could help?" mewed Foxstar. Gorsepaw noticed that the way Foxstar talked made it seem like he was simply putting his thoughts directly into words.

"Of course. I'm sure Sunfur would come if I asked him. Would he be able to see you though?" Foxstar nodded in thought. There was no point in bringing Sunfur if he couldn't even see the cat in question.

"If he can't see me you'll just have to be his ears. It's worth a shot." Gorsepaw nodded in agreement and sighed. _Guess I'm choosing to help him after all._ Foxstar seemed to notice her troubled thoughts and gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry if this is all an inconvenience to you. I'll try to make it up to you if I ever get the chance." Gorsepaw shook her head vehemently.

"Of course it's not an inconvenience! Don't worry about it. I'll ask Sunfur as soon as I get the chance." _Besides, how could I not help the previous leader of ThunderClan? Imagine the stories I'll be able to tell when I'm in the elder's den . . ._ Grinning at the thought, Gorsepaw looked back at Foxstar's scruffy muzzle.

"Looks like you got it figured out then," mewed Foxstar, grinning. Looking down at himself, he noticed that he was starting to become see-through. "Looks like it's my time to go. See you soon."

o-o-o

Gorsepaw padded tiredly into camp. Although the excitement of sneaking out of camp had served to distract her from her exhaustion, now that she returned the pain of the bruises returned to her full force. Groaning, she dragged herself to the fresh-kill pile for some food. She saw Vinefeather come to her and stopped to meet him.

"What's up?" asked Gorsepaw once Vinefeather had gotten over to her.

"Hey, where you've been?" he mewed with a yawn, "out talking to yourself in the badger set again?" Gorsepaw flinched but Vinefeather didn't seem to notice.

"N-no. Of course not. I was just out taking a walk to clear my head." Vinefeather brushed her side with his tail.

"Hey, I was out a few nights ago and I found a great spot to relax. Wanna come to see?" mewed Vinefeather, suddenly awake. Gorsepaw suddenly didn't feel tired or hungry anymore.

"Yeah! Let's do it. Right now?"

"Right now," mewed Vinefeather with a mischievous grin, "everyone is asleep right now anyways. I think we can just leave through the thorn tunnel instead of sneaking out through dirt-place." Gorsepaw couldn't help but laugh. For once she wasn't sneaking out of camp. Following Vinefeather, Gorsepaw squeezed out of the thorn barrier and padded down the slope. Although it was still green-leaf, the slightly chilly breeze indicated that leaf-fall would soon come to take its place.

"So, what's this place like?" asked Gorsepaw as they walked. Crickets chirped in response.

"It's right by the lake. There's this really large, flat piece of rock that is perfect to lay on. It gets warmed by the sun all day so it's still warm even at night," explained Vinefeather excitedly. Gorsepaw smiled. _Leave it up to Vinefeather to find spots like these._ "It's right there!" Gorsepaw looked over to where Vinefeather was gesturing. A large outcropping of rock jutted over the lake, tall enough to avoid the spray of the waves but low enough to still be close to the water. The trees around the rock cleared enough so that there was a great view of the night sky. Hopping up onto the rock, Gorsepaw realized that what Vinefeather said about the rock being warm was correct. The entire rock emanated heat constantly, like a hot, green-leaf day.

"This . . . this place is amazing!" mewed Gorsepaw elatedly.

"Right? I thought it was too good to be true too. Look up." Gorsepaw looked up, the silver-pelt looking down at them. Constellations of stars stretched across the entire sky, casting a soft light onto the entire forest scene. Every so often, the stars blinked and glinted, as if they were alive.

"Woah . . . " gasped Gorsepaw, awe-struck. She couldn't tear her eyes away. Soft, wispy clouds drifted lazily across sections of the sky, causing certain stars to blink in and out. Laying on her back, she stretched out across the warm rock. Vinefeather padded over and laid next to her. They watched the stars like that silently for a long time. Gorsepaw felt her worries melt off of her as if they were traveling to the stars. The cricket's incessant chirping had stopped, giving way to a peaceful silence in the forest. Gorsepaw was almost asleep when she heard Vinefeather break the silence.

"Hey, Gorsepaw?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" Vinefeather fell silent again. Gorsepaw turned her head to look at Vinefeather. He was looking up to the sky pensively.

"It's alright. I'll tell you later," he mewed after a while of silence. Like that, the two laid in their silence. The forest stood silently still, as if to frame the moment. "I'll tell you soon," he muttered, too quiet for Gorsepaw to hear. It didn't matter though, Gorsepaw was already asleep.


	21. Chapter 20

**Hi again, whew this chapter took a long time to write. This chapter is the main reason why I've been struggling to update. I ended up having to rewrite the entire thing in a different POV as well as reorganize the entire story plan just for this arc to make sense. I realize it breaks the flow of the story so far, but I seriously could not get it to make sense in any other way. So for clarification (because POV switches haven't actually occurred in this story yet), this is written from the POV of Sunfur, the medicine cat of ThunderClan. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 20

Sunfur dropped the small bundle of herbs in one of the corners of the medicine den. He needed to organize his herbs for the upcoming leaf-bare. Borage, Feverfew, and most importantly Catmint were the three pillars that stood against disease in the cold season. Humming to himself, he began to line up the soft brushy leaves of catmint in the slots within the den's walls. Although he realized the importance of having an apprentice, sometimes he enjoyed the peacefulness of the medicine den without Pigeonpaw around. This would be his eighth leaf-bare as a medicine cat. A part of him wanted to just curl up and rest forever, but this was his responsibility.

"Sunfur! Are you available right now?" He heard a loud mew outside. He sighed. His peaceful medicine den would remain peaceful no more. Dropping the Catmint, he padded over to the entrance of the den and stuck his head outside to see the source of the noise. Gorsepaw sat on her haunches outside, her tail curled politely over her paws. Sunfur huffed.

"What do you need?" he mewed. _Might as well get it over with. Maybe she needs herbs or something._

"Can you come with me? I need to show you something." Sunfur sighed. The one day he was able to relax Gorsepaw 'needs him to go with her.'

"What," he gruffly replied.

"It's outside of camp. I can explain on the way there," mewed Gorsepaw. _She sounds pretty serious. Maybe she found some herbs? Perhaps I should just tell Pigeonpaw to check it out after she comes back._ "Please Sunfur, it's important."

"Alright. Alright. Let's go. Make it quick," he mewed reluctantly. Gorsepaw immediately began heading for the entrance of the camp. Sunfur quickly swept up the Catmint into a neat little pile before heading out. Following after Gorsepaw, he wondered what she had found. _Perhaps she found another way to get lost again._ Gorsepaw seemed determined to lead him to whatever she had in mind. Sunfur realized he hadn't seen this part of the territory in a while. Pigeonpaw had been so fervent in her herb collection that Sunfur hadn't really had a reason to leave camp. Not that he wanted to. His shoulders ached as he climbed over a fallen tree trunk. The cool weather wasn't doing his joints any favors. A chilly breeze swept through the forest, causing him to shiver. Sunfur was regretting following Gorsepaw out of camp more and more by the moment. Finally, he saw Gorsepaw stop in front of a mound of some sort.

"It's in here," mewed Gorsepaw, gesturing at a small hole in the ground. Sunfur arched an eyebrow. Was he supposed to jump in there? "Just jump in, it isn't a far drop." Sunfur watched annoyedly as Gorsepaw launched herself into the hole. Rolling his eyes, Sunfur carefully dropped in as well. _I'm too old for this._ As he landed, he felt his paws connect with the soft dirt. Dusty scents of dirt and moisture wreathed around his nose. Sunfur blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Gorsepaw had yet to explain to him what the purpose of coming here was, and no herbs he knew of grew underground. Looking around, he saw Gorsepaw padding up to a small stream that ran through the entire cave.

"You've yet to explain to me why you brought me here," mewed Sunfur with a biting tone. Gorsepaw turned to face him.

"Can you see him?" she asked, gesturing to nothing. Sunfur was convinced Gorsepaw was mad. Getting lost for a moon had surely driven her to the brink of insanity. She had lost her mind so badly that she was seeing figures that didn't exist. Sunfur didn't know how to respond to Gorsepaw, no herbs could cure insanity except perhaps deathberries. That seemed quite morbid though.

"No Gorsepaw. I can't see your invisible friend. Is this the only reason you brought me here?" mewed Sunfur. Rather than responding him, Gorsepaw turned to face nothing.

"See? I told you he wouldn't believe me." Sunfur stared at her. How long was this going to continue? Gorsepaw continued to talk to thin air, though it really did seem like she was having an actual conversation. Sunfur watched as she listened to the silence intently, before nodding. "I'll try that." she mewed.

"Sunfur. I'm talking to Foxstar or the ghost of him . . . I think. He says for me to tell you to ask me any question that only he would know so I can prove he is actually here." Sunfur couldn't help but feel intrigued.

"Alright fine Gorsepaw, I'll humor you. Uh . . . what is . . . erm, what is Foxstar's father's name?" Foxstar's father's name was Goldenstar. Sunfur realized that there was a chance that Gorsepaw could know Goldenstar considering he _was_ the previous leader. Gorsepaw turned to look at nothing before answering.

"Goldenstar." _That could've been a fluke._

"Hmm . . . alright. Foxstar has three big scars. Where are they?" There would be no way Gorsepaw would be able to answer this unless Foxstar was literally standing next to her.

"Uh, Foxstar? Do you have any scars?" asked Gorsepaw. She stepped back and craned her neck to look at something. After a moment, she bent down, as if to look at something on Foxstar's belly. Sunfur couldn't help but feel incredulous. Perhaps the spirit of Foxstar was really here? Finally, Gorsepaw stood up to answer.

"I'm not sure if these are the ones you were referring to, but he has a long scar down his belly, one around his shoulder, and another down the length of his flank." She was correct. Sunfur still felt doubt in his mind but he had to admit that there was no way Gorsepaw could've possibly had that information. The only possible way she could've answered that would be for her to ask someone who remembered Foxstar's exact scar positions, and the only cat in ThunderClan that could answer that would be Sunfur himself.

"I guess I have no choice but believe you. Why did you need for me to come? Shouldn't Foxstar be in StarClan by now?" responded Sunfur.

"Foxstar says that this place was once Thorn's execution grounds. He thinks that because of its history, StarClan can't reach here and that's why he's stuck here. He figured maybe you'd know something about it." mewed Gorsepaw. _Could it be possible that Foxstar really didn't reach StarClan?_

"Why does he think that I'll know what to do?" he asked slightly pointedly. Gorsepaw looked at thin air again. She seemed to listen to something before nodding.

"Foxstar says that perhaps because you're a medicine cat, you'll have a better connection with StarClan."

"I don't know anything more about StarClan than you do Foxstar!" exclaimed Sunfur. He sighed. "I can't talk to StarClan whenever I want either. I have to wait for their whims to conta-" Sunfur suddenly realized there _was_ a place where they could contact StarClan. _The moonpool!_ The medicine cat's gathering would be in a couple of days. He could use that opportunity to ask StarClan.

"Did you think of something?" asked Gorsepaw.

"I have, tell Foxstar that I'll bring him up to StarClan at the next medicine cat gathering." he mewed.  
"Foxstar says he can hear you speak," mewed Gorsepaw.

"Why didn't you just tell me in the first place?" mewed Sunfur indignantly, flashing her an annoyed look. Gorsepaw looked sheepish. "Anyways, I'll bring it up to the other medicine cats and see what they think. And if StarClan will listen, I'll tell them too."

"Of course they'll listen! Why wouldn't they?" asked Gorsepaw. Sunfur didn't have the heart to tell Gorsepaw that StarClan didn't always show up to the Moonpool.

"Sometimes they can't hear us," mewed Sunfur vaguely. Gorsepaw nodded thoughtfully prompting Sunfur to roll his eyes. Cats will believe anything you say as long as you make it sound mystical. "Look, it's about time we got back, otherwise Blackeye might skin for . . . well, you know." mewed Sunfur. Gorsepaw nodded.

"Alright Foxstar, I promise we'll get this sorted out." Sunfur turned and began to head out of the badger set. To be honest, he really didn't need to add helping Foxstar to his already long list of responsibilities but he figured this was something he couldn't just ignore. He noticed Gorsepaw padding wordlessly after him, but his mind was racing. _Why was Foxstar trapped in the badger set? It's true that Thorn used this den as a makeshift execution ground and home base, but he had several other cats killed there as well. It doesn't make sense that only Foxstar is trapped there. On top of that, why can only Gorsepaw see him? What was the connection?_ His tail twitched occasionally as he ran several scenarios through his head. Abruptly, Gorsepaw broke through his train of thought.

"So what did you think of?" she mewed, her eyes widening curiously. Sunfur considered just brushing her off, but he realized that she would eventually find out anyway.

"The next time I go to the Moonpool, I'm going to ask StarClan and the other medicine cats for advice. Perhaps they don't know how to reach Foxstar because they don't know where he is. At least, that's the idea." Gorsepaw nodded thoughtfully before falling back into silence. The two padded quietly through the forest, heading back to camp. After a few minutes, Sunfur thought perhaps he had finally answered all of Gorsepaw's ceaseless questions.

"Sunfur?" Sunfur squeezed his eyes shut. _Why did I think I could ever sate her questions?_

"What is it now?" he responded without looking back.

"Do you think I could maybe um, maybe go with you to the Moonpool?" Sunfur sighed. _Did Gorsepaw know how annoying she is?_

"Listen, Gorsepaw. I'm old and tired. You dragged me out of the warm medicine den to talk to an invisible spirit of a dead cat. Can you _please_ give it a rest?" he mewed bitingly. Gorsepaw seemed to get the message and shut up for the rest of the way back. Mercifully, the thorn tunnel finally arrived. Padding through, Sunfur saw Pigeonpaw rushing in and out of the medicine cat's den. Hurrying up to her, Sunfur looked around.

"Pigeonpaw, what is going on?" he asked. Heading into the den, he saw several cats covered in blood and cobwebs. Long scratches and injuries adorned their body, evidence of their partaking in a massive battle. Pigeonpaw quickly hurried in after him to answer.

"There's been a massive battle at the ShadowClan border! ShadowClan declared war on us for more territory. Apparently, Twolegs moved into some of their territories and they need more for food. As if that justifies attacking our warriors." mewed Pigeonpaw urgently. Sunfur quickly assessed the situation. Pigeonpaw had managed to bring enough cobwebs, but the cats needed relief and infection prevention.

"Bring me Marigold and Poppy Seeds. We need to make a poultice for their wounds." mewed Sunfur.

"Our stores are running low, I've already asked Swallowstar to send out a patrol to help gather herbs. I'll go help them right now." mewed Pigeonpaw before dashing out again. Sunfur shook his head and began to chew up the Marigold poultice. Foxstar was going to have to wait.


	22. Chapter 21

**[Original A/N]:** The story will have to stay on Sunfur's POV for a little longer until the Foxstar arc wraps up. Gorsepaw will be returning after the next chapter. So glad to finally be past this chapter, the latter portion gave me some serious writer's block for a while. I'm also going through the older chapters and fixing some grammar. Hope you enjoy and please review!

 **Pharmakon:** Thanks! I've been trying really hard to keep the characters consistent. I definitely feel there a places where I could've done better though.

 **Someone:** Yeah, the first seven chapters were written before the rest of the story, they could definitely do with better grammar. I'm actually in the process of revising the older chapters to make them read better. I'd like to think I'm doing a better job with the more recent chapters. Thanks for the critique, I'll definitely watch out in the future!

Chapter 21

Sunfur's jaws ached as he finished preparing the last set of wound dressings. It had been three days since ShadowClan aggressed at the border. A smaller skirmish had broken out near the lake after a ThunderClan patrol discovered ShadowClan cats setting up a temporary camp. The medicine den was overflowing with injured cats, luckily no cats had been mortally wounded yet. Sunfur wasn't sure if there would be a medicine cat gathering this moon or not. Fernstar, ShadowClan's leader, has notoriously been fickle with letting his medicine cat do her duties during times of conflict. Hollowskip, ShadowClan's medicine cat, would often have to sneak out in the middle of the night just to get into contact with the other medicine cats. _Oh well, we're just going to have to go without her tonight._ Sunfur couldn't keep the idea of Foxstar out of his head as he worked through organizing his herbs. He hated to admit it, but it intrigued him to no end. The fact that cats could remain among the living after death, the idea was simply so absurd to him that it made him want to know more.

Brushing several stray poppy seeds aside, Sunfur stepped out of the dimly lit medicine den. He squinted as the bright sunlight flooded around him. The backlog of injured cats had gotten so large that he hadn't left the medicine den since last night. It was strange, Sunfur knew that he should feel tired, but he felt more alive than ever. He sat down and quickly groomed himself before heading over to the fresh-kill pile to pick out something to eat. The fresh-kill pile was recently stocked, but it was meager. _Leaf-bare is upon us, this war with ShadowClan better end quickly, otherwise, lots of cats will suffer._ Choosing a mouse, he bent over and quickly scarfed down his light meal. As he was cleaning his whiskers, he saw Gorsepaw slink into his peripheral vision. She looked anxious, but evidently had something to talk to him about.

"Sunfur? I hope I'm not bothering you," she mewed tentatively. Sunfur flicked his tail in acknowledgment. A part of him wondered if he was too hard on the little apprentice. His irritation had caused an uncharacteristic outburst but he felt it was well deserved. "I'm sorry about annoying you so much last time. It's just that I really want to resolve this."

"I'm sorry about my outburst Gorsepaw and it's alright. What do you need?" mewed Sunfur, turning around. Gorsepaw seemed to deflate in relief. Looking up again, her eyes filled with her youthful enthusiasm.

"Pigeonpaw told me that the medicine cat gathering was today. It's alright if I can't come, but could you at least tell me what happens? I know you aren't supposed to talk about it but . . ." her voice drifted off. _At least this time she's asking with more manners._ Sunfur knew he was going against his better judgment, but he finally gave in.

"Fine. But you absolutely _cannot_ tell any other cat. Do you understand?" Gorsepaw nodded furiously.

"I won't tell a soul. I promise to Starclan!" mewed Gorsepaw. Sunfur nodded.

"The medicine cat gathering is today. I'll tell you how it goes."

"Thanks, Sunfur," purred Gorsepaw appreciatively. Sunfur watched in surprise as Gorsepaw promptly turned around and wandered off. He watched as she joined Vinefeather near the warrior's den and began talking to him. Sunfur rolled his eyes. Now that he gave it a bit more thought, Vinefeather was probably the one that told Gorsepaw what to say to him. _Whatever._ Sunfur padded back to the medicine den to return to his duties. He had some time to kill until tonight.

o-o-o

Sunfur jerked awake to the prodding of Pigeonpaw.

"Wake up! It's almost sundown," Sunfur cracked open an eye to see Pigeonpaw staring at him. _I must've fallen asleep while organizing herbs._ Standing up, he arched his back and pushed into a long stretch. "I'll be waiting by the main entrance," mewed Pigeonpaw shortly before padding out of the medicine den. Sunfur's joints ached as he groomed himself. He would have to ask Pigeonpaw to fetch him some juniper berries for his joints later. Stiffly, he brushed aside the loose vines covering the medicine and headed out into the dusk. The late hunting patrol had just returned and had small bounties of prey to refill the fresh-kill pile. Sunfur momentarily considered grabbing a bite, before deciding against it and heading towards the thorn tunnel. As he exited the camp, he was joined by Pigeonpaw. The two wordlessly began their descent down the sloping hill that led up to the ThunderClan camp. Sunfur felt his age as he walked. His paw pads ached as he traversed over the rough terrain.

Pigeonpaw slowly began to pull ahead of Sunfur. As they walked, Sunfur caught a whiff of RiverClan. It seems that the RiverClan medicine cat, Willowberry, and her apprentice Beepaw had already arrived at the designated meeting spot. Sunfur wasn't sure, but it seemed that ShadowClan's medicine cat had come after all. Pigeonpaw suddenly bounded excitedly up to a parting in the trees.

"Doepaw! You came!" she mewed happily. Sunfur rolled his eyes as he joined the group of medicine cats.

"Hollowskip, so you made it after all," mewed Sunfur to the ShadowClan medicine cat.

"I told Fernstar that we had to collect a type of herb that only bloomed at night. As if such a thing exists," laughed Hollowskip.

"That's your most creative excuse to get out of camp yet," mewed Sunfur with a chuckle.

"Let's save the small talk for later," mewed Willowberry, "Hollowskip is on a time limit."

"Fernstar told me that I had to be back before the dusk patrol returned. Willowberry is right, let's get going." The small band of medicine cats made their way towards the opening of the hollow. One by one, they made their way down the layered stone path, until they finally reached the glittering Moonpool. Once they approached the Moonpool, they each crouched down until their noses just barely broke the surface of the tranquil water. Sunfur bent down and poked his nose into the water. As soon as he felt the coolness of the water wash over his muzzle, he felt his body suddenly lighten. His ears filled with roaring wind as he felt himself being brought upon the hunting grounds of StarClan. Once he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a small clearing in a forest. He stood up and looked around. No other cat was with him.

Sunfur's ears perked as a soft rustling sound behind him. Turning around, he saw a bush part before a lone cat walked through. Sunfur's eyes widened. In front of him was Rosepetal, his mother. The last time he saw her, she was bloody and injured from a fight. Now that she was in StarClan, she was regal and clean. Her gray fur was sleek and sparkled as the light passed over her.

"Mom?" mewed Sunfur tentatively.

"Sunfur," mewed Rosepetal with a dip of her head, "how have you been?"

"Things have been fine. You look so much better!" In all the times that Sunfur had visited the Moonpool, he had never seen his mother.

"StarClan has been good to me," replied Rosepetal. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Are the rumors true? You know where Foxstar is?"

"I do. So is that it then? He couldn't get into StarClan because you didn't know how to reach him?" mewed Sunfur. It irritated him that even though StarClan obviously needed help, they didn't even think to ask the living.

"I don't know if that's really the case. All I know is after I saw Foxstar die, he didn't show up in StarClan. I've been waiting for him for many moons. Where is he?"

"He's exactly where he died. In the badger set that Thorn took over after they invaded our territory," replied Sunfur. A rustle of the ferns signaled that several more cats were approaching. Sunfur watched as several more cats emerged through the bushes. Leading the trio was a long-furred tom. His fur draped over his legs and shoulders, causing him to appear larger than he actually was. He had piercing green eyes and he seemingly had a mane of fur around his neck.

"Greetings, my name is Whiteheart," mewed the long-furred cat. He dipped his head. "If you could point us to the exact area that Foxstar is at, that'd help tremendously." Sunfur looked around.

"How am I going to point it out if we are in this clearing?" Without responding, Whiteheart swept with his left paw. Suddenly, Sunfur felt the same feeling he felt when he entered StarClan. His whole body lifted as he felt the roaring of the wind fill his ears. His fur blew furiously as he felt himself being lifted forward. Finally, a few moments later, he felt the familiar feeling of the earth contacting his paws as he was set down in another area. _This is ThunderClan territory!_ The area looked exactly the same, except a misty shroud that enveloped the distance of the forest. Rosepetal and the trio of cats were nowhere to be seen. He was by himself in this illusion of the ThunderClan forest.

"Where am I? Where are you?" he asked out loud.

"Lead us to where Foxstar is." Sunfur heard the voice resound loudly within his head. "We can't manifest a material body here, but we can see through your eyes," the voice continued. Sunfur tried to get an idea of where he was. The trees around him felt familiar, but the distinct lack of any scents threw him off. Looking around, he brushed through a fern into a small clearing. _The training hollow!_ Jumping into the clearing, he quickly followed the sloping path up. In the distance, he spotted the thorn entrance into camp. Orienting his mental map, he turned around before following a branching path that split away from the training hollow. Recounting his steps with Gorsepaw, he followed the path that he remembered. Stepping over a fallen log, the badger set finally revealed itself. The misty shroud circled around the entrance of the set.

"There it is," mewed Sunfur out loud, "do I need to go in?"

"Please do," responded the voice, curtly. Sighing, Sunfur approached the entrance. A faint glow seemed to be emanating from within the badger set. Stepping carefully, he hopped down the tumble of dirt and landed squarely on his paws. In front of him was Foxstar, a yellow glow surrounded him, contrasting the dead, misty blue that enveloped the forest.

"I figured you had something to do with this," mewed Foxstar with a grin, "I wonder why I'm glowing though."

"There's Foxstar, is th-" Sunfur felt is entire body get blown backward, wind once again whipped around him. This time was different, however. Pinpricks of pain pierced his pawpads as he felt himself being lifted. He felt himself glide through the wind, presumably back towards StarClan. All of a sudden, he felt a massive gush of wind slam into his side, sending him tumbling through blindly in the air. He flailed his paws, trying to regain control. _What's going on?_ The next thing Sunfur knew was falling. Falling falling falling. After a few seconds of terrifying descent, he felt a massive thud as he landed on the ground. The musty scent of dust and dirt filled his nostrils as he scrambled onto his paws. Around him were dead trees and a dried riverbed. A wispy fog permeated throughout the entire range of hollowed trees. Although there weren't any recognizable scents, Sunfur recognized the general feeling that was around him. It was the same feeling he had when he had to treat greencough in the winter with no catmint. It was the scent of death. He looked around confusedly. _How did I end up here?_ Padding around, he sniffed at the trees and the riverbed. Everything in this foggy forest gave disturbingly gave off no scent at all. It was as if they didn't really exist. Sunfur heard a low chuckle sound behind him.

"What's a soft medicine cat doing here?" rasped a voice somewhere in front of him.

"Who are you? Come out!" mewed Sunfur, steeling his nerves.

"Heh, don't be scared, medicine cat. I'm not going to hurt you." Emerging from the shadows, a wiry black tom stepped out. Wicked scars adorned his black and brown body. The scars curved and winded up and down his sides and his flank, as well as extending onto his face. His ears were torn and ragged, giving him the look of a mistreated stray. This was Thorn. Sunfur stepped back in shock.

"S-stay away from me! You can't hurt me, this isn't real!" quivered Sunfur. Thorn simply grinned.

"Don't worry little medicine cat, I won't hurt you," Thorn's grin widened, "I just wanted to let you know," Thorn's grin was so wide Sunfur could see each of his gnarled, crooked fangs, "I'm coming back."


	23. Chapter 22

**[Original A/N]:** I'm not dead! I was on vacation for most of Christmas break. Then, I had to go to D.C. for a few more days. I tried to post it after that but New Years took precedent. Finally got around to polishing up this chapter and posting it. Sorry for the long wait! Enjoy and please review.

 **Someone:** Sorry about the slow posting. Since this is a hobby, I often have to balance it between school and my personal life. I've definitely gotten over my writer's block though so hopefully I'll be able to fall back into my weekly schedule. Thanks for the review!

Chapter 22

Sunfur shook awake. Chills ran down his spine as he looked around. He was once again back at the Moonpool. All around him, medicine cats stirred.

"Err," groaned Beepaw. He stumbled onto his paws and shook his head. Sunfur shook the drops of water off of his nose. He felt the earlier chill run down his back again. A soft whispering voice sounded in his head.

"Thanks again Sunfur, Foxstar is safe now," the voice muttered quietly. Sunfur rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. He hated to admit it, but it felt good to help out with StarClan matters sometimes.

"I guess I'll depart for this moon. See you all soon," mewed Dapplesplash.

"We'll be going as well. I wouldn't want Fernstar to get angry," mewed Hollowskip, "come on Doepaw, let's get going." Sunfur watched as the duo hurriedly made their way out of the hollow. Sunfur tiredly stretched his groaning joints as he followed Pigeonpaw out of the hollow.

"What did you see?" asked Pigeonpaw, "I didn't dream at all so I woke up early. I saw you squirming a lot."

"You know I can't say," mewed Sunfur.

"It was worth a try," replied Pigeonpaw with a smile.

"You say that every time we come here," mewed Sunfur with a roll of his eyes.

"Who knows. Maybe one day I'll be able to trip you up!"

"Not on my watch," chuckled Sunfur. The sloping grass hills began to make way for the familiar ThunderClan forest. Sunfur never knew how WindClan could bear to live on the moors like that. The openness of the fields and the lack of cover made the prospect of living out in the open seem like a nightmare. _Nightmare . . . what was that all about with Thorn?_ It was strange, StarClan didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that he hadn't returned. It was as if they didn't know that he had been pulled aside into that dead forest. Thorn's words still echoed softly through his head. _What could he possibly mean by saying that he was coming back?_ Thorn was dead, through and through. There was no way that he could possibly come back to life, especially since he did not believe in StarClan. There was a small nagging doubt in his mind though. Every kit and their mothers knew of the old tale of how StarClan fought against the Dark Forest alongside the clans. It's widely believed that the 'appearance' of StarClan and Dark Forest cats in the physical world was just an exaggeration. Perhaps, the ancestors, Firestar and the bunch, had meant that they fought with the power of StarClan, rather than the literal cats of StarClan descending down to help them.

It didn't matter what the case was. Thorn was gone and there was no way he could come back. He would still have to tell Swallowstar about the vision though. Perhaps she would offer more insight into the meaning of the dream. Pigeonpaw's urgent mew broke into Sunfur's thoughts.

"Sunfur! I think I hear fighting up ahead!" Sunfur turned to look in the general direction that Pigeonpaw was gesturing to. There seem to be faint yowling and screeching.

"I think it's on the border of ShadowClan and ThunderClan. Near the old Twoleg path," deducted Sunfur.

"Should we go take a look? They may need our help," tugged Pigeonpaw. Sunfur seriously considered this for a moment. Pigeonpaw had some basic warrior training as a medicine cat apprentice, but Sunfur could probably hardly hold his own in an actual fight. Especially considering his age, getting into a fight with a well-trained ShadowClan warrior may not prove to be extremely smart.

"We probably shouldn't get involved, it's not our fight. I'm sure our patrol knows exactly what they're doing," replied Sunfur level-headedly.

"Come on! What if the fighting is almost over? Or maybe our patrol only needs a little push to win! Look, we don't have to fight. We can just stay back and watch for any cat that needs our help!" Sunfur had to admit, Pigeonpaw made a good point. Adding to that, Sunfur couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of a true patrol fight. Although it seemed morbid to think this way, the last large-scale clan emergency was all the way back when Thorn invaded the clans. Sunfur had been itching to see some action.

"Fine. But under no circumstances can we fight them, understand? This is their fight, not ours. We'll only be getting in their way if we participate."

"Alright! Come on, let's hurry," mewed Pigeonpaw excitedly. Together, they quickly headed toward the old Twoleg path. As they neared the path, it was quickly becoming evident that this wasn't just some basic border skirmish. The large commotion sounding through the underbrush indicated that the fight was on a significantly larger scale than Sunfur had predicted.

"Slow down, let's just peek through the bushes first," mewed Sunfur. They rounded a rock and approached a hedge of ferns. Brushing aside the ferns with a paw, Sunfur looked through to view one of the largest battles he had ever seen. What seemed to be at least two dozen cats were engaged in a tangle of fighting. Sunfur spotted Cloudwhisper, the clan deputy, engaged with two ShadowClan cats. Blood streamed down her long mottled fur and dripped onto the dewy grass below. She snarled at one of the ShadowClan cats before pouncing.

"What do we do? Should we help them fight?" mewed Pigeonpaw worriedly.

"No, stay put. We can't risk getting involved in this fight. If we get hurt, there won't be any other cat who can heal the injured." Pigeonpaw nodded thoughtfully. Sunfur peeked through the ferns once again. He spotted Eaglebreeze and Oakfur tag teaming on a ShadowClan tom. Eaglebreeze tackled into the ShadowClan tom, sending both of them tumbling back into the ground. Eaglebreeze stuck the landing, perfectly falling on top of the tom. Oakfur seized the chance and quickly began pummeling the soft underbelly of the tom with his back claws. The tom shrieked and pain, writhing and squirming, trying to escape Eaglebreeze's crushing weight. Eaglebreeze planted his paws down firmly on the tom's chest while Oakfur shredded the tom's underbelly. Long scores of scratches extended down the tom's underbelly, blood pooling beneath him. _Were they going to kill him?_

After several more moments of clawing, Eaglebreeze quickly let off of the tom. The tom struggled up weakly and desperately fled, tail tucked. _They were putting him out of action!_ No cat would be able to recover from injuries as severe as those for at least a few moons. Eaglebreeze and Oakfur were making sure that the tom wouldn't be able to fight in the war at all.

Sunfur suddenly heard rustling behind them. Spinning around, he saw eyes glint momentarily. Thinking fast, he pushed himself off to side.

"Pigeonpaw, watch out!" he yowled. Pigeonpaw reacted too late, the attacker crashed into her with full force. Pigeonpaw gasped as she had the breath knocked out of her. Scrambling, Sunfur tried to swipe at the attacker's hind legs. One of his claws connected, sending down a scratch and a spray of blood. The attacker quickly turned to face him, hissing. In front of Sunfur was a tabby she-cat. Her tabby gray fur was adorned with multiple scratches.

"We're medicine cats! You can't attack us!" mewed Pigeonpaw urgently.

"Do I look like I care?" hissed the she-cat. Sunfur let out the most menacing hiss he could muster. The she-cat looked hardly fazed. He really wasn't cut out for this. Sunfur knew what he had to do. He needed to protect Pigeonpaw, under no circumstance could Pigeonpaw get killed. She was still young and bright, Sunfur on the other hand, had lived a full life already. Facing the attacker, tried to recall as much apprentice training as he could remember. He fluffed up his fur to make himself look larger, and got into a battle stance. The she-cat hissed before jumping up. Sunfur quickly moved aside to dodge the pounce. On the way down, the she-cat extended her claws and managed to catch a portion of Sunfur's side. Sunfur winced as pain slashed down the side of his body. Regaining balance, the she-cat readied for another attack. Sunfur knew he needed to take the initiative if he wanted to stand any chance of winning. Suddenly, the she-cat let out a yowl and turned around. Pigeonpaw had raked her claws hard across the flank of the she-cat attacker. Using this as his chance, Sunfur quickly stepped up to claw at the she-cat's chest. Sunfur's first swipe missed, but his second connected hard against the lower portion of the she-cat's chest. The she-cat tumbled in a yowl of pain as she ducked away from Sunfur. Facing Pigeonpaw, the she-cat reared up to attack her. Pigeonpaw stared in horror as the attacker came down upon her.

 _Damnit, she won't move because she's too scared!_ Rushing up to the she-cat, Sunfur bent down and rammed into her with his shoulder. As he charged, his paw caught on the flailing paws of the attacker, causing him to fall ungracefully onto her. The she-cat capitalized on this mistake quickly, by immediately pinning Sunfur onto the ground. Struggling, Sunfur saw Pigeonpaw sneaking onto the attacker. Unfortunately, the attacker saw it too. With a deft kick of her hind legs, she managed to catch right below Pigeonpaw's chin and send her flying back. Pigeonpaw landed with a soft thud and didn't move again. Turning back to look at Sunfur, the she-cat stared at him with the fury of a badger.

"You filthy ThunderClan cats caused my only kit to die," she hissed in his face, "I had to watch him slowly starve to death because you fat forest cats can't share _any_ of your prey at all. Now you'll pay the price!"

"You could've asked! We would've never withheld prey if ShadowClan was truly starving!" Sunfur's mind was spinning, he had to buy time. He didn't know how the extra time would benefit him at all. He needed no less than a miracle now.

"We did ask! Your patrol rounded us up and drove us out," she snarled, "now die!" She pulled a paw back and swiped at Sunfur's neck. Sunfur managed to dodge the majority of the damage but quickly twisting as the swipe connected. The she-cat hissed and swiped once again. This time, Sunfur ducked quickly to dodge the attack. While it succeeded in dodging the fatal blow, it caused a painful scratch right across his muzzle. Blood filled his vision as he struggled to stay alive. _Oh StarClan, is it time for me to return to you? So soon after I visited the Moonpool?_ His vision was slowly getting hazy. Sunfur's age was showing in this crucial moment. He felt his energy slowly being sapped by his injuries. Through the blood and his blurry vision, he saw the she-cat lunge for his throat. _I guess it's all over_. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain. It was at that moment, he felt the entirety of the weight lifted off of his aching shoulders. _Am I dead?_ He opened his eyes, he was still in the same spot.

"Gorsepaw! Go for her legs!" yowled Vinefeather. He had charged into the she-cat and was batting at her head with his large forepaws. Gorsepaw ducked beneath the she-cat and let a long scratch down both of her hind legs. The she-cat yowled in pain, trying to regain balance. Gorsepaw seized the opportunity and pushed up with all her might, launching the she-cat into the air. In mid-air, the she-cat quickly tried to turn her body to land on her feet but was denied by Vinefeather crashing into her. She landed heavily onto the hard forest floor, with the full weight of Vinefeather on top of her. Dazed, the she-cat laid on the floor, defeated.

"Kill me," uttered the defeated attacker weakly.

"Should we Gorsepaw? She did try to kill Sunfur after all." Vinefeather turned to look for Gorsepaw's input. Gorsepaw simply shook her head.

"Let her go. The battle is won."

"You heard her. Get out of here, ShadowClan scum," hissed Vinefeather before giving her one final kick. The she-cat scrambled quickly onto her paws and sprinted away. Sunfur tried to stay conscious but he felt himself quickly fading. The last thing he saw was Vinefeather and Gorsepaw looking down at him.


	24. Chapter 23

**[Original A/N]:** Hi again, finally we are back to Gorsepaw's POV! Hopefully, I won't have to do that again. I wasn't super happy with having to switch but the writer's block was getting so bad I had to change things up a bit. Also sorry for the slow posting recently. This was my finals week and I had to spend extra time studying which really cut into writing. I promise I'll be returning to the weekly schedule as soon as I can. Enjoy and please review!

 **Mossbush:** Thanks so much for the review! I'll definitely try to take what you said into account. Writing this story is a learning experience for me after all.

Chapter 23

Gorsepaw sat excitedly, tail curled politely over her paws. Cloudwhisper had vouched for her fighting ability during the battle. On top of that, bringing Sunfur and Pigeonpaw back alive definitely bought her some bonus points in the eyes of Swallowstar. Especially Sunfur, Swallowstar seemed exceptionally relieved that Sunfur returned alive. Last night, Swallowstar had promised that Gorsepaw would be receiving her warrior name ceremony as soon as everyone was rested. That day was now. Goldenwhisker sat anxiously, trying to groom Gorsepaw.

"Why don't you clean yourself? You're a mess! This is your warrior ceremony you know! Gosh, Gorsepaw _come here_ ," mewed Goldenwhisker between desperate licks of Gorsepaw's fur.

"It's alright mom, I look fine," replied Gorsepaw half-heartedly.

"You don't look fine, you look _awful_. Everyone can hardly tell you're my kit!" Gorsepaw huffed and sat still, letting Goldenwhisker comb her over. Finally, she saw Swallowstar step out of the leader's den to call the clan together. Swallowstar approached the edge of the rock and looked around before taking a breath.

"May all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather by the Highledge!" she yowled loudly. Cats all around camp began to assemble below the leader's den.

"Hey, Gorsepaw. Follow me," mewed Cloudwhisper. Cloudwhisper was covered head to toe in various cobwebs and poultices. Evidence of her injuries from the previous battle with ShadowClan. Standing up, Gorsepaw lightly padded to where Cloudwhisper was sitting. "When Swallowstar calls for your name, go up the rock pile and stand next to her," mewed Swallowstar.

"Got it," replied Gorsepaw. As she waited for the clan to gather, she couldn't help but wonder what her name was going to be. _Gorseberry? I wouldn't mind that name. Gorseleaf? Gorseflower could be pretty good too._

"Gorsepaw? Come up," mewed Swallowstar. Gorsepaw quickly bounded up the tumble of rocks that lead up the leader's den. Once she got to the top, she looked down upon the entirety of ThunderClan. She never realized just how many cats were actually in ThunderClan. "Gorsepaw has been working tirelessly for many moons to learn how to become the best warrior that she can be. After a talk with Blackeye, and considering her recent achievement in the battle against ShadowClan, we have both agreed that it is finally time for her to receive her full warrior name." Gorsepaw looked down upon her clanmates as they yowled cheers of congratulations. She spotted Vinefeather sitting next to Rabbitfur, both looking happily at her. _Now I won't be the only one without a warrior name!_ Swallowstar waited for a moment before continuing. "I, Swallowstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to watch over this apprentice. She has worked hard to practice and learn the warrior code and I believe it is time for her to become a full warrior of ThunderClan." Gorsepaw felt the gazes of her clanmates burn into her pelt. _How does Swallowstar do this all the time?_ "Gorsepaw, do you swear to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even if it costs you your life?"

"I do!" mewed Gorsepaw confidently. Swallowstar nodded.

"Very well. By the powers vested in StarClan, I grant you your warrior name. Gorsepaw, from this moment forward, you will be named Gorsewing, StarClan honors your fighting spirit, from this point on, you will be a full member of ThunderClan." Immediately, yowls rang out from beneath her.

"Gorsewing! Gorsewing!" Cheers sounded from all around the camp. Gorsewing dipped her head respectfully in acceptance of the congratulations. After a moment, she turned and quickly headed down the rockpile to join her friends and family.

"Gorsewing! We're all warriors now!" mewed Rabbitfur happily with a friendly nuzzle.

"Couldn't have done it without you all," replied Gorsewing sheepishly. Gorsewing spotted Brackenstep approaching her.

"Congratulations," she mewed quietly with a smile.

"Thanks, now we're both warriors!" replied Gorsewing.

"That's good. I felt really guilty about becoming a warrior before you. Now I won't have to worry about that anymore," mewed Brackenstep.

"Don't worry about that Brackenstep, there's nothing to feel guilty about."

"So, how does it feel finally being a warrior now?" asked Vinefeather.

"Not much different, I suppose I'll have to get used to the new name now."

"You're also going to have to hold that vigil tonight," replied Vinefeather with a snicker. Gorsewing sighed.

"That's what I'm dreading."

"Hey, I'm on patrol later but how about we all go hunting later? I can ask Cloudwhisper to organize a hunting patrol with us four in it. And this time, you'll be coming with us, as a warrior," mewed Vinefeather. Rabbitfur flashed Brackenstep a quick look and nodded eagerly.

"Sure. It'll have to be later in the day though. I think Gorsewing needs her rest after that battle," mewed Rabbitfur. Vinefeather nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. I'll go ask Cloudwhisper right now. This is going to be fun," mewed Vinefeather, bumping Gorsewing in the chest. Gorsewing bumped him back.

"I got to go check on Sunfur. I'll see you all later," mewed Gorsewing. She started heading towards the medicine den. Pigeonpaw had officially taken over all medicine cat duties temporarily while Sunfur recovered. She wanted to see how Sunfur was doing after the injuries he received. For some reason, Gorsewing felt some responsibility for Sunfur. A little bit of that was guilt as well. She hadn't noticed that Sunfur and Pigeonpaw were being attacked until he was already hurt. _Who even attacks medicine cats anyway? Whoever that she-cat was, she sure was desperate._ Pushing aside the vines of medicine den, she entered into the dark space.

Inside, Pigeonpaw was busy pushing various herbs together and cleaning the place up. Sunfur rested against one of the dirt walls of the den, moss pushed under him to make him more comfortable. His ears perked up when he heard Gorsewing entered.

"Gorsewing?" he mewed with one eye open.

"Hey Sunfur, I just came to see how you were doing," mewed Gorsewing briskly.

"I'm doing fine. I'm lucky I got Pigeonpaw to do all the work here, otherwise ThunderClan would have no medicine cat," he responded.

"Actually, I was wondering. What happened? How did you two get roped into that fight?" asked Gorsewing carefully. She didn't want to risk offending him.

"Ah, Pigeonpaw and I were on our way back from the Moonpool when Pigeonpaw noticed some fighting. We went to investigate and ended up being attacked by a fleeing ShadowClan she-cat," replied Sunfur honestly. Gorsewing could see Pigeonpaw flinch at the mention of investigating the fight being her idea.

"I think she was really desperate to attack two medicine cats. I wonder what's going on with ShadowClan," mewed Gorsewing. Sunfur rolled his eyes.

"Whatever is happening in ShadowClan doesn't concern us. Oh, congratulations on becoming a warrior, Gorsewing." Gorsewing dipped her head in respect for the elderly medicine cat.

"Thanks, Sunfur. What happened with Foxstar?" She saw Sunfur briefly hesitate for a moment.

"Foxstar is fine. StarClan received him back with open arms. I'm sure he's fine," he mewed.

"Phew, that's a load off. Thanks for helping me with that too. I know it was a lot to ask out of the blue," she mewed. For the first time in her life, she saw Sunfur crack a smile.

"No problem. Now unless you are here to help Pigeonpaw push herbs, please let me rest." Gorsewing nodded and quickly backed out of the medicine den. _Foxstar is back in StarClan! The mysterious tunnel cat isn't so mysterious anymore._ Gorsewing felt a tinge of regret. It felt as if she had closed a chapter of her life. She had helped save the same cat that accidentally lead her to getting lost in the City.

o-o-o

Gorsewing watched as Vinefeather returned with the patrol. In his mouth was a small shrew which he promptly dropped in the fresh-kill pile. Seemingly at the same time, Rabbitfur and Brackenstep emerged from the warrior's den, excitedly whispering about something.

"Vinefeather! We asked Cloudwhisper and she said that we could go hunting now," mewed Rabbitfur loudly across the camp. Gorsewing watched as Vinefeather quickly bounded over.

"Let's get going then. Gorsewing, are you coming?" he mewed.

"Of course. Let's go," mewed Gorsewing with a shake of her pelt. All four cats began heading for the entrance of the camp. As they left, Gorsewing saw Blackeye and Shrewtooth sitting outside together.

"Congratulations Gorsewing," mewed Blackeye as they passed by.

"Thanks, Blackeye. I wouldn't be a warrior without you," purred Gorsewing. Blackeye smiled back.

"Are you all going hunting?"

"Yeah! It's to celebrate Gorsewing finally receiving her warrior name," mewed Rabbitfur cheerfully. Gorsewing saw Brackenstep smile. _What are those two up to?_ After a short trek out from camp, they finally arrived at the branching paths that lead to either the training hollow or the old oak.

"Hey, Vinefeather? Brackenstep and I are going to head over to the training hollow. Is that fine?" mewed Rabbitfur with a mischievous look. Vinefeather grinned.

"Sure. Come on Gorsewing. Let's go to the lake. We can see if we can get some prey by the bridge," mewed Vinefeather. Gorsewing nodded and padded next to Vinefeather. Gorsewing watched as Brackenstep and Rabbitfur bounded off, giggling. _Those two are getting weirder every day._ Following Vinefeather, Gorsewing began the trek towards the lake. She wondered if the rock that they laid on was still warm. With the weather getting colder every day, the rock would lose its use soon.

"I'm still thinking about that fight. We fought so well!" mewed Vinefeather gloatingly. Gorsewing rolled her eyes with a smile. Vinefeather had talked about the battle nonstop for the last two days.

" _Yes_ Vinefeather, you were _very_ cool during that battle. You are _truly_ the best warrior in all of ThunderClan. In fact, I am literally _quivering_ in fear right now in your presence, o' great warrior," retorted Gorsewing sarcastically, purposefully emphasizing her words. Vinefeather flicked his tail at her.

"Thank you fair warrior. I view your fighting talents as suitable to be my partner in battle as well. Indeed, I will accept you as my cohort as you are well-groomed and your fur is sleek," mewed Vinefeather with leader-like tone. Gorsewing giggled, feeling a familiar warm tingle crawl down her spine. She hadn't felt this feeling in a long time.

"Oh StarClan, you can be really awful sometimes, you know?" laughed Gorsewing.

"Only when I'm with you," mewed Vinefeather more candidly. Gorsewing bumped him lightly on the chest.

"We're not even hunting you know," mewed Gorsewing.

"Oh well. Want to explore the lake coast?" asked Vinefeather.

"Of course." Together, the two began walking along the coast. Gorsewing had never noticed just how pebbly the lake-side was until now.

"I just realized actually, you know that spot I've been saving for you in the warrior's den? You'll be able to use it now!" mewed Vinefeather, eyes sparkling.

"Really? You've been saving it this whole time?" asked Gorsewing incredulously. She remembered Vinefeather briefly mentioning it before in the past, but she hadn't expected him to actually follow through with it.

"Yup. I had to defend it from Rabbitfur for a while. She gave up eventually though."

"I'll take you up on the offer then if you literally had to _defend_ it," snickered Gorsewing. Vinefeather grinned. They continued walking down the lake-side. The tides splashed cyclically onto the beach, rarely wetting their paws. It was strange. Although the weather was cold, the water that hit them was still warm. Perhaps the rock would be warm too then. Suddenly, the ferns behind them rustled. Vinefeather spun around quickly and looked at the source of the noise.

"What was that?" he asked. The ferns parted to reveal a bloody Leaftail. Her normally patchy pelt was adorned with additional patches of blood and mud. Her eyes were wide and her tail was shivering.

"Please help us! We've been attacked!"


	25. Chapter 24

**[Original A/N]:** Sorry for another two-week delay! I'm trying to write more by the school has its way of taking up all my time. We're finally at the half-way mark of the story. Only 24 more chapters and an epilogue to do after this. Enjoy and please review. Also, hi Jerry.

 **Mossbush:** I'm happy you feel that way. I don't think it'll be necessary ever again. Thanks for reviewing!

 **ChrisPNCrunchEXD:** Oh, um . . . thanks? o.o

Chapter 24

"Oh thank StarClan I heard you two! Quickly, Whitefoot needs help! We ran into a group of ShadowClan cats in our territory, he's by himself right now! Please come help," she begged. Vinefeather looked at Gorsewing and nodded.

"Lead the way," he mewed. Muttering thanks, Leaftail quickly bounded back through the ferns. Both Vinefeather and Gorsewing quickly followed suit. The forest blurred as they ran towards where Leaftail was leading them. As they hurried towards their destination, the stench of blood quickly became overpowering. Gorsewing scrunched her nose as they continued to leap through the forest. They burst out into a clearing to see four ShadowClan cats looking down at a white body.

"No no no, Whitefoot!" shrilled Leaftail, her eyes widening. The ShadowClan cats turned and faced them, snarling.

"ShadowClan attack!" yowled the center brown tom. All four cats leaped into action immediately. Gorsewing heard a commotion behind and turned to face several more cats appearing out of the forest. They were outnumbered and trapped! Leaftail and Vinefeather both got into a defensive stance, preparing themselves to meet the four cats head on. _We can't win this!_

"Vinefeather! There's more behind us!" yowled Gorsewing as she also got into a defensive stance. Vinefeather looked over his shoulder.

"Keep them off us! We just need a few moments," he replied quickly before crashing into an approaching ShadowClan she-cat. Gorsewing cursed silently. _How am I going to keep three cats off them all by myself?_ Desperately thinking, she ducked under the first attacker and slashed quickly at their underbelly. The she-cat screeched in pain and fell over. The second attacker to her left was a black tom. He snarled before leaping at her, claws outstretched and extended. She didn't have enough time to dodge the grapple. The only choice she had was to meet him head on and try to hurt him more than he hurt her. Squinting her eyes, she launched herself, shoulder first, at the attacker. She felt his razor sharp claws tear through her shoulder. Screeching in pain, she let a powerful swipe towards the tom's eyes. She praised StarClan as she felt her risky swing connect with his face. Three large streaks of pain tore through his face and his muzzle. The powerful hit didn't stop the tom at all. Blinking through the blood, the black tom continued to advance on her. She let out another warning swipe towards the tom.

Suddenly, she felt an impact to her side. _I forgot about the third attacker!_ She felt the air in her lungs get pushed out as she crashed into the forest floor. Pain blew through her side as a quick swipe flew down her soft sides. Looking up to see the attacker, she could see it was an apprentice. The apprentice tried to snarl menacingly, but her fluffy pelt effectively nullified the effect. For once, Gorsewing was both larger and stronger than her attacker. Bunching up her muscles, she heaved herself off of the apprentice. The apprentice let out a yelp as she was pushed into her back. Gorsewing quickly leaned back to dodge a blow from the black tom.

"Get out of here, I don't want to hurt an apprentice," she muttered quickly. The apprentice stared at her. "Go, I already scratched your shoulders. There is no need to fight anymore," she muttered louder. The apprentice looked at her for a moment longer.

"I'm sorry, t-thanks," she squeaked and quickly bounded off. The black tom cursed as he saw the apprentice run off. He once again tried to swipe at her haunches and missed only by a hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Gorsewing saw the first she-cat slowly recovering. She couldn't let herself get into a battle against two cats. She could feel her strength slowly draining from her injuries. _Vinefeather!_ She quickly turned to check on Vinefeather and Leaftail. Vinefeather was pinned under a larger yellow furred tom. Leaftail was squaring off against another she-cat with the final ShadowClan cat nowhere to be seen.

Turning back to her attacker, she could tell the tom was starting to weaken as well. Although he was stronger than her, his pelt clung tightly to his ribs, evidence of their starvation in ShadowClan. She might be able to win this fight! Thinking quickly, she jumped to the right of the tom. The tom turned quickly to face her. Feinting left, she quickly sidestepped and rammed into the side of the tom, sending him tumbling. _This is my chance! I have to hurt him enough to send him running!_ Leaping onto his chest, she began to scrape into this belly with her hind claws extended. The tom yowled and screeched in pain as deep scores of blood emerged from his fur.

"Never come back to ThunderClan territory, or this will happen again!" hissed Gorsewing. She let off of the tom, who quickly began running away from her. The she-cat, seeing the tom run, followed him back into the forest. _I did it! I managed to beat off all three cats! It probably helped that they were starving though._

Spinning around Gorsewing surveyed her surroundings. Leaftail was facing off against the yellow tom that she had seen moments ago. Vinefeather was nowhere to be seen. Hissing, Gorsewing flung herself at the last remaining ShadowClan attacker. She could see that the tom was heavily injured. It seemed that Vinefeather didn't let up on him easily. Nodding to Leaftail, Gorsewing jumped towards the tom. Her paws, claws extended, collided with the tom first. As soon as she hit him, she let out several quick slashes. To her left, Leaftail rounded up to the yellow tom and quickly began a barrage of swipes.

Screeching in pain, the yellow tom jumped up to try to avoid Gorsewing and Leaftail's attacks but was quickly thwarted by a well placed hit on his head from Leaftail. Gorsewing watched as the yellow tom crumpled to the ground, no longer moving. She breathed a quick sigh of relief as the fight was finally over.

"Where's Vinefeather? Is Whitefoot alright?" mewed Gorsewing urgently. Leaftail quivered.

"Vinefeather is somewhere in the bushes. I told him to drag himself there because he was injured so badly. Whitefoot . . . Whitefoot isn't responding."

"Do you think you can carry Whitefoot by yourself?" asked Gorsewing as she looked around for Vinefeather.

"I-I'll try," choked Leaftail as she pushed herself beneath Whitefoot, trying to get him onto her back. Gorsewing padded into the underbrush.

"Vinefeather? Where are you?" mewed Gorsewing loudly. _What if he is too injured to respond?_ It was a few terrifying moments of searching, Gorsewing heard a weak mew sound in front of her.

"Here." Gorsewing quickly bounded through several more thick bushes only to arrive in a small clearing among the ferns. Vinefeather laid in the center of it, a small pool of blood forming around his head and neck. "Hey, how're you doing?" he mewed with a weak grin.

"Shut up idiot, you're going to die if you keep talking," grunted Gorsewing as she tried to push Vinefeather onto her back. She saw Vinefeather weakly try to assist her by pushing himself up with his hind-paws.

"I'm guessing you and Leaftail managed to beat them off?" mewed Vinefeather as Gorsewing shifted him into a more comfortable position.

"We did. It was probably because of how starved ShadowClan has been these past moons. The tom that faced me barely put up a good fight. Now seriously, stop talking before I kill you myself," mewed Gorsewing, trying to sound threatening.

"You sound more relieved than angry Gorsewing," croaked Vinefeather, at least he still had his humor. "Alright, whatever you say. You're the boss." Gorsewing hadn't realized how heavy Vinefeather really was. Each paw-step she took was as if she had a massive boulder strapped to her shoulders. Behind her, Leaftail seemingly faced the same challenge. Unfortunately, it seemed that Whitefoot was even heavier than Vinefeather, as Leaftail's paws were trembling with exertion. Luckily, they weren't far from the ThunderClan camp. Gorsewing could already make out the sloping hill that leads up to the thorn entrance.

"ThunderClan! If anyone can hear me please help us!" yowled Gorsewing loudly as she continued to move closer to the camp. After a few moments, the thorn barrier rustled before she saw Chestnutbriar stick his gray head out. His eyes widened once he saw what Gorsewing and Leaftail had on their backs.

"Pigeonpaw! Sunfur! Come quick, there are injured cats outside," yowled Chestnutbriar before quickly bounding towards them.

"Help Leaftail, I think I've got Vinefeather for now," mewed Gorsewing through gritted teeth. A couple moments later, Pigeonpaw and Sunfur rushed to them, mouth laden with cobwebs and marigold.

"Just drop him here, we can treat both of them right now," rasped Sunfur as he quickly began preparing poultices. Gorsewing gently rolled Vinefeather onto the forest ground before shaking herself off.

"Stop moving Gorsewing, you're injured too!" mewed Pigeonpaw worriedly.

"It's alright, I'm not hurt as bad as them," mewed Gorsewing. Pain immediately flared in her shoulder as if to contradict her.

"Let me at least put a little marigold onto your scratches. It'll help alleviate the pain and stave off infection," mewed Pigeonpaw, already approaching her. Nodding, Gorsewing lowered her shoulder so that Pigeonpaw could apply the chewed up marigold. As soon as the poultice's juice made contact with her wound, the pulsing pain quickly reduced to a dull ache. Gorsewing sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Pigeonpaw," purred Goreswing.

"Mwno mwroblem," mumbled Pigeonpaw, a mouth full of poultice, already hurrying to check up on Whitefoot. Gorsewing bent down to sniff Vinefeather as Sunfur adorned his fur with cobwebs and herbs.

"Are you alright?" she mewed quietly. All Vinefeather could muster in response was a snore.

"It's no use talking to him now. I gave him some poppy seeds to put him out so he didn't have to suffer through the pain. He'll be awake tomorrow," explained Sunfur. Gorsewing reluctantly nodded in acceptance, feeling the marigold seep into her fur. "Go inside and rest. You'll probably still have to do your vigil tonight," added Sunfur. Gorsewing looked at Vinefeather one last time before padding into camp. _Don't die, stupid furball._

o-o-o

Gorsewing blinked as the sun finally peaked over the horizon. Her eyes burned with exhaustion and her joints ached. Worry about Vinefeather had plagued her for the majority of the night. But now that her vigil came to an end, she couldn't help but feel excited over her exhaustion. _I'm finally a warrior!_ The worst of the warrior ceremony was over. She was finally a full member of ThunderClan. She heard pawsteps sound from behind her. Turning her head, she saw Cloudwhisper pad out of her den and stretch. Once she noticed Gorsewing looking at her, she nodded in her direction.

"Good morning Gorsewing. You're relieved from your silent vigil. Go get some rest," mewed Cloudwhisper.

"Finally," rasped Gorsewing, her throat dry.

"Go get some water too. I'm sure Sunfur still has some wet moss left," mewed Cloudwhisper with a flick of her tail. After watching Cloudwhisper walk off, Gorsewing headed towards the medicine den. Brushing aside the tendril of vines she entered into the familiar dark and cramped space. Inside, she saw Pigeonpaw organizing a meager supply of what looked to be Marigold. Sunfur was digging out old, dry herbs and Vinefeather laid near the back. Whitefoot was strangely missing. Gorsewing saw Vinefeather lift his head slightly as he heard her enter.

"Gorsewing?" he mewed tiredly.

"How are you feeling?" asked Gorsewing as she settled next to him.

"Terrible. My head hurts as if a badger sat on it," mewed Vinefeather with a slight grin.

"It hurts because you lost a lot of blood," mewed Sunfur from the side without looking up from his work. Vinefeather rolled his eyes.

"Sunfur here has been chastising me all morning about the importance knowing when to stop fighting. I think he's just a sore loser because we had to save his tail from ShadowClan," sassed Vinefeather without missing a beat.

"Do me a favor and die next time then. Fine by me," responded Sunfur grumpily. Vinefeather rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Could I have some water? I'm really thirsty after my vigil," mewed Gorsewing.

"It's over there by the corner, get some yourself," mewed Sunfur with a flick of his tail. Gorsewing padded over to where Sunfur gestured and picked out a piece of wet moss. After drinking, she began heading out of the den.

"I'm going to go get some rest. You do the same Vinefeather," mewed Gorsewing on her way out. Vinefeather nodded.

"I'll try my best," replied Vinefeather. Gorsewing waited a moment and took a deep breath. _You can do it Gorsewing. Just don't think about it._

"Urm, love you," mewed Gorsewing, forcing herself to not look back. She could feel Vinefeather noticeably hesitate to respond. She steeled her nerves as she kept walking.

"Love you too," responded Vinefeather. Although Gorsewing didn't turn to look, she knew that he was definitely smiling.


	26. Chapter 25

**[Original A/N]:** Damn, this might've been the longest time between chapters yet. I know I keep saying that I'm trying to release them faster, but I have been seriously unmotivated to write. This chapter gave me some serious writer's block. Once again, I'm going to _try_ my darned hardest to release chapters weekly again, but don't quote me on that. In other news, I'm polishing up some of the older chapters so that they are more well written. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 25

Blades of grass cracked and bent under Gorsewing's paws as she followed after Shrewtooth. They were making their way towards the limits of ThunderClan territory. Rumor had it that a band of rogues was camping just outside of the shared ThunderClan and WindClan territory. Apparently, several WindClan cats, including Raccoonfur, the WindClan deputy, had been seriously injured by the rogues.

Gorsewing had only found out later that day after she left the medicine den about how Whitefoot had suffered a nearly fatal wound to his neck. Even Sunfur wasn't sure if he would make it. However, Whitefoot had managed to cling on to life, albeit unconscious. Leaftail had requested Whitefoot be laid in the warrior's den rather than the medicine den, so she could say her good-byes in case he didn't make it through the night. That was probably why Gorsewing didn't see him when she had gone to visit Vinefeather. It had been nearly two days since then, and Whitefoot still hadn't woken up. Sunfur had managed to get Whitefoot to drink by dripping it into his mouth with moss, but he warned that if Whitefoot didn't wake up soon he could die due to lack of food.

"Let's go along those sloped hills, that's where WindClan reported seeing their camp," mewed Shrewtooth.

"What do you think we should do if we were to find them?" asked Gorsewing.

"Scout them out. If they can seriously hurt a WindClan patrol, I don't think it would be wise for us to engage them," mewed Shrewtooth in response. Gorsewing nodded in affirmation. After a couple minutes of walking, a loud guttural noise suddenly started. It sounded like a constant, monstrous roar of thunder.

"What is that noise?" mewed Gorsewing worriedly.

"It's some Twoleg monster. It seems to eat the grass it passes over," responded Shrewtooth, tail fluffed out in caution, "it's right there, in the fields. I don't think it has seen us yet."

"What should we do about it?" asked Gorsewing. Shrewtooth observed the grass-eating monster for a moment longer before responding.

"Let's just leave it alone. It'll help mask our noise when we go scout on the possible rogues." Gorsewing nodded. It made sense, after all, this was a covert mission.

"If I recall correctly, the rogue camp should be just past this Twoleg den," mewed Gorsewing, flicking her tail towards the rough direction she was referring too.

"Very well, let us head there then," replied Shrewtooth before heading towards the den. It didn't take long for the two to finally arrive near the area that WindClan had described. A small brook ran along the edge of what seemed to be another wooded area. Wooden posts lined the shore of the small river, possibly a construct of Twolegs. Almost immediately, Gorsewing could see tell-tale signs of rogue activity. Littered next to the wooden posts were several partially consumed pieces of prey. Gorsewing couldn't help but feel anger well up in her throat. _These rogues have no respect for the prey! It's almost leaf-bare and they're acting like it's greenleaf!_ Looking over, Gorsewing could tell that Shrewtooth felt the same.

"We have to report back immediately, there are definitely rogues living here," mewed Shrewtooth.

"Shouldn't we at least find where they're living at? That way Swallowstar could order a patrol to drive them all out." Shrewtooth thought it over before nodding.

"You're right, however as soon as we find out where they are we'll leave. That way, it won't arouse any suspicions."

"Do you think they are in the forest?" sniffed Gorsewing. A faint scent seemed to meander its way into the forest. She turned to see Shrewtooth standing near the edge of the brook. With a powerful push of her hind-legs, she launched herself across, front paws landing dangerously close to the other edge. Shrewtooth flicked her tail in relief.

"Careful Gorsewing, it's further than it looks," warned Shrewtooth **.** Bunching up her haunches, she launched herself across the creek, her hind paws barely scrabbling onto the edge. Shrewtooth, seeing that Gorsewing had made it across safely began stalking off into the forest. Gorsewing followed close behind as they made their way deeper and deeper into the deciduous woods. After a couple of silent minutes, they were rewarded by a large commotion coming from a nearby hollow. Quickly yet silently, they made their way over to the hollow, hiding in some nearby bushes.

Below them were at least two dozen cats, all crowding around two individuals in the center. They seemed to be facing off against each other. Without warning, one of the cats in the center, a tom, launched himself at the other. The two collided into an explosion of fur and claws. The bystanders yowled and cheered as the two grappled onto each other, desperately trying to get on top of each other. Gorsewing turned towards Shrewtooth.

"What should we do?" she whispered quietly, "it's obvious that these are the rogues that WindClan was referring to."

"Hold on, I'm counting them," dismissed Shrewtooth with a flick of her tail. Focusing back on the fight, the tom had the other cat pinned to the ground and was pummeling the cat's soft underbelly. Even from distance, they were at, Gorsewing could hear the shrieks of the pinned cat, notifying Gorsewing it was no doubt a she-cat. Suddenly, the tom lunged for the she-cat's throat. Gorsewing gasped as she watched the she-cat briefly stiffen, before falling limp. The fight was over. She could tell that Shrewtooth was as shocked as she was. _Weren't these rogues a part of the same group? Why would they kill one of their own like that?_

"We should probably go now," mewed Shrewtooth worriedly, "I think we've been spotted." Dread sunk in Gorsewing's heart as she turned to where Shrewtooth was looking. Below them was a spotted she-cat, scars adorning her face. The she-cat was staring directly at where Gorsewing and Shrewtooth were hiding. After a moment, she turned and whispered something to a tom next to her. Immediately, a yowl rang out across the clearing and all two dozen heads flicked towards exactly where they were hiding. Gorsewing's eyes widened.

"Shrewtoo-," she was cut short by Shrewtooth scrambling to get out of the bush.

"Gorsewing! We have to go NOW!" Shrewtooth yowled, terrified. Paws scrabbling on the dead leaves, Gorsewing bounded quickly after Shrewtooth. Behind them, she could hear yowls and thundering pawsteps. No doubt, the rogues were chasing after them. Pushing herself, she fled the forest, trees flying by her as the wind whipped against her fur. As they ran, she could hear the yowls behind her slowly getting louder. _They're gaining on us!_

"Shrewtooth! What do we do?" yowled Gorsewing quickly as they continued to run for their lives.

"What do you mean 'what do we do?' Keep running and don't look back!" hissed Shrewtooth, "if we get caught we'll be crow-food!" Out of the corner of her eye, Gorsewing noticed a small black tom about a dozen tail-lengths from her. The tom leaped at her, claws outstretched. Without thinking, Gorsewing kicked her hind-legs, feeling her paws connect with the tom's face. She felt a sickening crunch as her paws slammed into the tom's muzzle, sending him flying back. Fortunately, the forest surrounding them was beginning to thin, indicating they were close to the brook. Feeling a surge of energy filling her limbs, Gorsewing somehow pushed herself to run even faster. By now, the yowls behind them were so loud Gorsewing was sure that they were practically on top of them. Sunlight suddenly flooded her vision as the two broke out of the forest. Without stopping, Shrewtooth leaped across the brook, with Gorsewing following suit. Landing hard, Gorsewing continued running towards the general direction of camp. After a few more heart-pounding moments, Gorsewing dared to risk a look behind her. The rogues had stopped at the brook and were yowling and jeering at them. She couldn't help but notice the spotted she-cat staring at them intensely.

"Thank StarClan we made it out of that alive," gasped Shrewtooth between breaths as the two finally dared to slow down. Gorsewing collapsed onto the soft grass, chest heaving. She never had to run like that before in her life.

"How many . . . were there?" mewed Gorsewing, still trying to catch her breath. Shrewtooth waited a couple moments before responding.

"I didn't get to finish counting before that she-cat noticed us. There are at least twenty of them, definitely more," responded Shrewtooth. They both knew what this meant. These rogues were bad news.

"I think now is a good time to tell Swallowstar."

o-o-o

By the time Gorsewing and Shrewtooth arrived back to camp, the sun was setting, casting a orange hue across most of the forest. As they walked into camp, Gorsewing saw that Swallowstar was already waiting for them by Highrock. Walking over to Swallowstar, Shrewtooth immediately began relaying the information that they had gathered on their excursion.

"Swallowstar, there is a large gathering of rogues right outside of the WindClan border," began Shrewtooth.

"That's what I thought. WindClan believes that we should drive them out immediately. What do you think about that?" responded Swallowstar, tail flicking in thought.

"I'm not sure that would be very easy," responded Shrewtooth, "not only are they hostile, but there are also at least twenty or so rogues, definitely more."

"We got spotted by one of the rogues, and they chased after us. We barely made it out," added Gorsewing. Swallowstar nodded.

"Very well. I'll definitely be having a talk with Lionstar to see what we'll do about these intruders. Is there anything else you'd like me to know?" Shrewtooth thought for a moment.

"Not much else, except that the camp is just past the Twolegplace, in the forest," mewed Shrewtooth.

"Alright. In the meantime, we still need to resolve this conflict with ShadowClan. I want you two to keep tabs on the rogues, but don't do anything that could potentially cause these rogues to dislike us," commanded Swallowstar. Both Gorsewing and Shrewtooth nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing that the conversation was over, Shrewtooth padded off, presumably towards Blackeye. Gorsewing, likewise, scanned the camp for Vinefeather. However, it wasn't hard to spot him lazing around the warrior's den. Rolling her eyes, Gorsewing headed over to the fresh-kill pile to pick out a piece of prey, before approaching Vinefeather.

"Share?" she mumbled through the short fur of the vole she was carrying.

"Thanks, but I already ate. How was the patrol?" asked Vinefeather cheerfully. Settling down next to him, Gorsewing began tearing into the vole.

"Alright, there are definitely a bunch of rogues hanging out by WindClan. I think we might have to deal with that at some point," filled in Gorsewing, making short work of the vole. Vinefeather looked worried.

"Were they hostile? They didn't try to attack you two, did they?" he mewed.

"Oh, nothing that wasn't expected. They tried to chase us out of the forest, but of course, we were much faster than them," mewed Gorsewing with a sarcastic puff of her chest. Vinefeather chuckled.

"I'm sure you were _much_ faster," purred Vinefeather. Gorsewing raised an eyebrow.

"You're being awfully suspicious," mewed Gorsewing, eyes narrowing.

"More like I'm in an awfully good mood," laughed Vinefeather, "especially now that you're here." Gorsewing smiled.

"Why's that huh? Did something happen today?"

"It's a secret," snickered Vinefeather. Gorsewing rolled her eyes. _This is more like him._

"Fine. I didn't want to know why anyway. In fact, I didn't care at all!" mewed Gorsewing playfully, pretending to ignore him.

"Aw, don't be like that. Say, how about we go exploring tomorrow? I don't have anything assigned and I'm sure Cloudwhisper won't assign you any duties considering this patrol you just went out on," mewed Vinefeather, "our last outing did get cut short." Gorsewing saw Vinefeather look uncomfortably towards the warrior's den.

"Did something happen with Whitefoot?" mewed Gorsewing tentatively. Vinefeather looked uncomfortable. "Sunfur says his condition isn't getting any better. And what's worse, Sunfur also thinks that Whitefoot might've gotten whitecough. He says it's due to him not being able to eat anything." Gorsewing felt the same guilt that had arisen this morning. She sighed.

"I really hope he gets better soon. Maybe if we were faster . . .." She trailed off.

"Hey, there's no need to focus on what's already happened. He's in StarClan's paws now," mewed Vinefeather reassuringly, "go get some rest. We're getting up early tomorrow!" Gorsewing couldn't help but crack a smile. Vinefeather _did_ look very comforting after all.

"Fine. We'll go tomorrow, you better wake me up!" purred Gorsewing, amused. Vinefeather tapped her shoulder with a paw.

"I promise it on my honor as ThunderClan warrior!" he mewed officially. Gorsewing stuck her tongue out at him before going into the warrior's den.


	27. Chapter 26

**[Original A/N]:** The gaps between chapters just keep getting longer and longer. I'm really not happy with this chapter at all, it just doesn't feel like the normal stuff I write. However, I felt it was better for me to put out _something_ rather than nothing. Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 26

A soft breeze rippled through Gorsewing's pelt as she prepared to leap at the mouse in front of her. Slowly, she inched forward, keeping her eye dead center on the target. The mouse suddenly perked up and stared directly at Gorsewing. _What in the . . . the mouse isn't running?_ The mouse opened its little mouth and _spoke._

"Gorsewing! Gorsewing!" it shrilled. Gorsewing stared at it, shocked. _This mouse is talking? Is that even possible?_ It continued to say her name over and over. "Gorsewing! Gorsewing wake up!"

Gorsewing awoke to Vinefeather, bopping her head.  
"I'm up! I'm up! Oww, is that the only way you know how to wake someone up?" mewed Gorsewing irritably.

"It's the most _efficient_ way of waking you up," corrected Vinefeather, "come on and eat, we have to get going!" Stumbling awake, Gorsewing padded to the fresh-kill pile, behind Vinefeather. She watched as he picked up a thrush and quickly de-feathered it, before dropping it in front of Gorsewing. "I was full yesterday, but we can share now." Bending down, Gorsewing quickly polished off the thrush with Vinefeather. Comfortably full and fully awake, Gorsewing groomed herself.

"Where are we going today?" asked Gorsewing, looking up at Vinefeather.

"I have a few ideas," replied Vinefeather with a smirk, "just follow me." Padding out of the camp, Gorsewing could tell that leaf-bare was almost upon them. A chill blew through the forest, rustling evergreens and dead branches. Her paws crunched on fallen leaves and browning grass as she followed Vinefeather.

"How do you even know of these places? You don't seem like the type to wander and explore all the time," mewed Gorsewing.

"I have my secret ways," chuckled Vinefeather, "and if you're _extra_ nice to me today maybe I'll tell you a few."

"It depends on what you define as 'nice'," purred Gorsewing, "I can be nice, y'know."

"Oh, well I've yet to see it then," responded Vinefeather sarcastically.

"That's it. I'm never being nice to you ever again then," huffed Gorsewing, turning her head away. She couldn't help but smile.

"Anyways, where do yo-,"

"Nope, not talking to you until you apologize," mewed Gorsewing, not looking at him. Vinefeather stared blankly at Gorsewing.

"Fine, I'm sorry. Is that better?" apologized Vinefeather with a flick of his tail.

"Not genuine enough," responded Gorsewing, trying not to laugh. She heard Vinefeather groan behind her. With a quick leap, he landed in front of her.

"Gorsewing. _I'm sorry_ about what I said earlier. _Please_ forgive me," he mewed with mock desperation.

"If you put it that way, I guess I have no choice but to forgive you," giggled Gorsewing. "Where do you think we should go to first?"

"Finally," sighed Vinefeather in relief. "There's this tree that's near the borders of the ThunderClan territory. It has thick branches that we climb on, and it is also hollow. Really cool place, you'll see."

"Alright then, we'll go there first. Lead the way," mewed Gorsewing. The two began making their way up a hill. As she followed behind him, Gorsewing couldn't help but look at Vinefeather. In the time that they had spent together as apprentices, Vinefeather had grown significantly in size. Gone were the days when his fur was soft and fluffy. Instead, his sleek fur clung tightly to his well-muscled shoulders, rising and falling with every step he took.

Gorsewing had noticed some changes in herself as well. She had noticed that she was faster on her paws now, especially after their skirmish with ShadowClan. The fact that she managed to fling the apprentice off of herself so easily gave credence to her new changes.  
Passing a couple of wooden posts, they finally entered into a broad clearing. Sunlight filtered through the various cracks and openings amidst the canopies of the trees. In the middle of the clearing was an enormous tree, uncharacteristically thick branches sprouted starting from the trunk of the tree. The branches seemed to swivel up the tree, forming almost a staircase of sorts. At the base of the tree was a small opening that implied that there was more space on the inside.

"Come through here, you'll want to see the inside of the tree first," mewed Vinefeather before padding towards the opening. Once he arrived, he squeezed through into the opening, tail disappearing into the darkness. Shaking her head, Gorsewing bent and squeezed through the opening as well, the rough bark scraping her shoulders and back. Once she popped through, she took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

"What's so interesting about the inside of a tree?" asked Gorsewing as she looked around the dark space.

"Look up!" mewed Vinefeather excitedly. Listening to him, Gorsewing looked up to face what was potentially the greatest light show of her life. The holes in the bark allowed pinpricks of light to shine into the trunk. The small beams of light extending up the entire inside of the trunk cast a soft orange hue onto everything within the hollow space. As the light hit the bark, it reflected off of the small grooves in the wood, diffracting into hundreds of smaller rays that diffused into the darkness. The only thing Gorsewing could compare it to would perhaps be the stars in the night sky.

"Woah, that's . . . wow," gasped Gorsewing breathlessly.

"Look, if you hop up here," mewed Vinefeather as he leaped onto a small wooden outcrop embedded within the wooden walls, "the light will make your fur sparkly!" He moved into one of the beams of light, causing the light to bounce off of him, his fur glittering in the darkness. His blue eyes shone in the dark, making him look as if he was a visitor from StarClan. "Here, you try."

Following his lead, Gorsewing jumped onto the small ledge. Balancing carefully, she shifted her body in front of the light. Immediately, her pelt shimmered, her vision filling with light.

"Vinefeather, how in the name of StarClan did you find this place?" asked Gorsewing as she admired her sparkling pelt.

"I was out hunting and I was chasing a rabbit. It ran into this tree and I followed in thinking maybe it was its burrow. I lost the rabbit but found this place instead!" explained Vinefeather. "It was worth it if you ask me."

"I wonder how this place looks at night," mewed Gorsewing as she jumped back down to the ground.

"Boring. Boring and dark. I came once and hit my head a bunch of times," he mewed with a laugh. "Come on, let's go see the climbing branches." Squeezing back out of the hollow trunk, Gorsewing once again had to wait as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight outside, before looking towards Vinefeather.

"These branches go all the way up the tree. If you're careful, you can even get to the top of the tree. The view of the territory is _amazing_ ," mewed Vinefeather as he stepped onto the first branch.

"Don't you know I'm one of the best climbers in ThunderClan?" boasted Gorsewing jokingly, "if anything, you should be careful you clumsy badger."

"Hmph, well better safe than sorry," mewed Vinefeather in mock offense before continuing up the tree. Gorsewing put a paw lightly onto the branch, testing the strength. It barely bent under her weight, holding up stiffly. Feeling more confident, Gorsewing began ascending the tree with Vinefeather. She shivered as she felt a cold breeze ripple through her fur as she continued to climb up the tree. Five, ten, fifteen, counted Gorsewing, the ground below her seemed more and more distant. The higher she got, the colder it got, her paws shivering both from the temperature and the height.

"Hey, Vinefeather? How much further is it?" yowled Gorsewing.

"Not much further, be careful though, some of these branches are pretty thin," he yowled back. Hopping up to the next branch, Gorsewing felt the entire tree sway slightly. Grasping tightly, she waited for the movement of the tree to stop before continuing up. A half dozen branches later, Gorsewing finally arrived near the top rungs of the tree. Vinefeather was gripped tightly to one of the highest branches. Looking around, Gorsewing could easily see over the treetops of the ThunderClan territory. Dead leaves blew through the air around her as another breeze softly passed them, the tree once again lightly swaying. It was peaceful like this, on a tree with Vinefeather, but Gorsewing couldn't help but feel nervous about how high up they were.

"Vinefeather, I'm sorry. The view is pretty but I think I really need to get down," mewed Gorsewing nervously.

"Nah, I figured as much. Alright, let's go down. You'll have to go first," sniffed Vinefeather. Nodding slowly, Gorsewing carefully maneuvered her way down to the branch below her, careful not to make any sudden movements that could shake the tree. One paw at a time, Gorsewing stepped from branch to branch. She could feel the slippery ridges of the wood below her paws. One wrong step and she could be tumbling many tail-lengths down to the ground.

By the time she risked looking down again, she was more than halfway down the tree. Suddenly, she felt the entire tree shake.

"Hey, Gorsewing?" mewed Vinefeather above her.

"Yeah? Do you need-." Gorsewing was cut short as she saw a blur of fur fly past her vision. Vinefeather just fell! "VINEFEATHER! Oh my, oh no. Are you okay?" she yowled down near the ground.

"I'm perfectly fine! I jumped," yowled Vinefeather. He had landed on his paws. Gorsewing quickly hurried down the rest of the tree, landing softly on the forest grass.

"How could you just jump? You could've gotten hurt! Are you alright?" mewed Gorsewing frantically.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," mewed Vinefeather with a smile, "it was fun!"

"It was fu- oh StarClan, please help me not claw your fur out _right now_ ," huffed Gorsewing, turning away. Vinefeather grinned and walked towards Gorsewing.

"Oh come on, don't be mad. I knew it was safe. I jump here all the time," he mewed reassuringly.

"How am I supposed to know that? You can't tell me to not take unnecessary risks and then pull something like _that_ ," Gorsewing shot back.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I'm happy that you also worry about me though," whispered Vinefeather, brushing through Gorsewing's fur.

"You stupid furball, ugh. One of these days, just you wait, I'm going to get back at you for this," mewed Gorsewing. For whatever reason, she couldn't stay mad at Vinefeather, especially with that dopey smile of his.

"Let's hunt a little and get back to camp, it's getting late," mewed Vinefeather. He was right, the sun was already starting to disappear behind the canopy of the trees, casting a dark shadow over the forest.

"Alright, let's do that."

o-o-o

The thorn entrance rustled as the duo returned. As soon as Gorsewing entered, she saw Rabbitfur pad up to them.

"Where have you two been all day? Brackenstep and I missed you!" she mewed playfully. Vinefeather glanced at Gorsewing before responding.

"We were out. I was showing Gorsewing that tree we found," he mewed.

"This stupid furball jumped off from a branch! I thought for sure that he had died," mewed Gorsewing, looking at Vinefeather indignantly.

"He did that for me too! Nearly scared me out of my fur," laughed Rabbitfur.

"Well, it's not my fault for trying to have some fun," mewed Vinefeather sheepishly, flicking his tail.

"Anyways, Cloudwhisper told me to let you two know that there's going to be a battle with ShadowClan tomorrow," mewed Rabbitfur in a more serious tone.

"Really? What provoked this for such a sudden change in the plan?" asked Vinefeather.

"Whitefoot is dead." mewed Rabbitfur, shaking her head, "Swallowstar has had enough of ShadowClan. We're going to attack their camp at dawn, to show them what we're made of." Rabbitfur sighed. "It's not going to be pretty." Gorsewing looked at Vinefeather. Vinefeather face shone of resolution, he was ready. If he was ready, then she was too.


	28. Chapter 27

**[Original A/N]:** Wow, it's been what, like a year and a half? Finally got enough inspiration to finish this chapter. Here's hoping I can keep it up.

 **GraceShelby1031:** Thanks for the review! And I'll definitely pay attention to the future.

 **FanFicFan152:** Thanks for the review, and I appreciate the compliment. I'll see what I can do to incorporate more thoughts into the story.

Chapter 27

Leaves crackled and popped as dozens of paws passed above. Gorsewing walked behind Vinefeather and Rabbitfur wordlessly. Dozens of ThunderClan warriors silently traveled towards the location of ShadowClan's camp. Swallowstar had been extremely upset about Whitefoot's death and had ordered a full-on assault of ShadowClan's camp. The plan was to fully occupy ShadowClan camp, and force Fernstar, ShadowClan's leader, to truly face and atone for her actions. Swallowstar herself had decided to participate in the raid, as she felt it was required for the leaders of the two clans to work it out personally.

Gorsewing shivered nervously. This was going to be her first real battle. Sure, she had been in many smaller skirmishes and border disputes, but this time it was the real deal. The moon shone brightly overhead, potentially giving away their position. Swallowstar had decided to go at night, in order to try to catch the ShadowClan cats off guard. As the group neared a small hill, Swallowstar flicked her tail to signal everyone to stop.

"From here, we're going to split up into two groups," announced Swallowstar with a whisper, "one group will go to the camp immediately to start the attack, while the other will wait near the entrance, to catch the returning night patrol." All around Swallowstar, cats murmured their agreements. "Very well, go then, and may StarClan be with you." Gorsewing had been assigned to the main camp force, considering they were young, energetic warriors. Vinefeather had seemed eager to participate in this attack, whereas Rabbitfur seemed more vengeful. It was only Brackenstep that seemed relatively reserved for the whole idea, although she was eventually convinced to come. Following their deputy, Cloudwhisper, the group of cats began their stealthy trek towards ShadowClan camp.

"Listen up. ShadowClan cats fight best in the shadows. We need to make sure that we _only_ fight in the areas that the moon lights up. That way, we can still keep the element of surprise without having to fight against ShadowClan's inherent advantage," mewed Cloudwhisper. Gorsewing nodded, it made sense after all. Although ShadowClan was known for their night vision, many of them still slept at night. By attacking ShadowClan on such a bright night, they could reap all the benefits of their surprise attack while avoiding ShadowClan camps beating them in the dark. It seems Swallowstar had this all planned out. After a couple more minutes of traveling, the dark silhouettes of ShadowClan camp's hedges began to show. Cloudwhisper began leading the group to the left, going around the hedges and towards two large pine trees which seemed to be the entrance to the camp.

"When do we know to stop fighting?" mewed Oakfur from the back.

"We keep fighting until Swallowstar yowls for us to stop," replied Cloudwhisper, "once they beat back the night patrol, they'll join us in taking ShadowClan's camp. Alright, get into your positions, when I yowl, we attack." The cats around Cloudwhisper quickly headed to their pre-planned positions. Gorsewing and Vinefeather made up the second wave of attackers. Seeing that all the cats were ready, Cloudwhisper nodded. "Get ready, and good luck to all of you. THUNDERCLAN, ATTACK!"

The first wave, consisting of Oakfur, Rabbitfur, and Hareleap, sprang into action. After a few seconds, Gorsewing leaped into ShadowClan's camp along with Vinefeather and Eaglebreeze. Gorsewing watched as Oakfur immediately crashed into a bewildered yellow-tom, sending a large scratch down the side of his flank. Gorsewing looked for targets, she saw several warriors emerging from their dens, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly bounded towards them, launching a barrage of strikes in their direction. Next to her, Vinefeather grappled with a striped tom, trying to pin him onto the floor. Turning to face her targets, she squared down with a white she-cat. The first thing she could see was just how thin she was, her ribs so pronounced they might as well have been on the outside of her skin. The white she-cat let out a threatening hiss before swiping at Gorsewing's muzzle. Stepping back to avoid the blow, Gorsewing feinted to the left, before quickly twisting around and swiping at the she-cat's legs.  
Screeching in pain, the she-cat turned to try to kick at Gorsewing. Gorsewing managed to move just in time to avoid the kick, before once again swiping at the she-cat, this time, catching the side of her chest. Blood seeped through the she-cats fur as she stumbled from the blow. Behind her, she heard more loud yowls, no doubt from Swallowstar's group joining into the battle. _This fight isn't going to last much longer! ShadowClan is just too weak to fight back._ Facing down the she-cat, she finished the duel with a quick cuff between her ears, sending her down onto the ground with a grunt.

"If you know what's good for you, stay down," hissed Gorsewing, trying to sound menacing. The she-cat below her didn't respond, instead, she simply trembled and covered her bleeding cut with her paws. Vinefeather's fight seemed to have gone the same way, the yellow tom beneath his paws was beaten and bleeding. Vinefeather on the other hand, looked pristine, almost as if he had just woken up. As Gorsewing prepared to look for another fight, she heard a loud yowl resound around the camp. It was Swallowstar!

"THUNDERCLAN STOP! The fight is over," yowled Swallowstar. Gorsewing turned to see her leader standing on top of Fernstar. Fernstar couldn't have possibly looked worse, her fur was ragged and tattered, blood matted in clots throughout her body, and she looked so skinny Gorsewing nearly mistook her for a bundle of bones. Gorsewing suddenly saw a reddish she-cat leap towards Swallowstar.

"Swallo-," before she could finish her warning, Swallowstar leaned and kicked out with her hind legs, catching the she-cat right in the neck. The she-cat somersaulted through the air before landing pitifully on the ground with a dull thud, where she lay, unmoving. Swallowstar then looked down at Fernstar, her fiery, amber eyes piercing with malice and anger.

"Fernstar," she began, "we have come to make ShadowClan atone for its actions. We have a list of demands, and if you don't accept, we will not hesitate to continue this fight." Fernstar didn't respond, she simply weakly coughed before meeting Swallowstar's burning gaze. "First, ShadowClan will cease to hunt on ThunderClan territory, _ever again._ If we so much as see one patrol come _near_ our borders, we will immediately attack. Second, ShadowClan must cede some of its territories, pushing its borders-," Fernstar suddenly interrupted.

"You can't do that! ShadowClan is already struggling to get by as it is. The Twolegs have come and poisoned our moors, we don't have any fresh-kill at all!" mewed Fernstar desperately. "Please, I beg you, we won't steal prey anymore. ShadowClan is dying, two of our elders have already died of starvation. Just let us keep our territory." Fernstar looked tired and hungry, the ShadowClan cats around her looked equally as so. These were a clan of defeated cats.

"Swallowstar, I think we've proved our point. ShadowClan has understood our message. Perhaps we should leave their territory be," mewed Cloudwhisper with a dip of her head. Swallowstar looked at Fernstar for a moment longer before sighing.

"Very well. I will not take ShadowClan's land. This will be our only and last warning for you. I pray to StarClan you'll remember it. ThunderClan, let's go." Stepping off of Fernstar, Swallowstar motioned for the remaining warriors to follow her.

"Robinpool! Oh, StarClan, Robinpool no!" a yowl sounded. Look behind her, Gorsewing saw a brown tom sprint towards the unmoving body of a she-cat. It was the same she-cat that Swallowstar had kicked in the neck, and now that she was in the moonlight, Gorsewing could see that Robinpool's neck was twisted in an unnatural position. Swallowstar's kick had been so strong that it had snapped Robinpool's neck, killing her. Swallowstar didn't speak, she simply looked towards the remaining ShadowClan warriors, her fierce gaze challenging anyone to say something. No one sounded, the camp remained silent. Finally, she turned away, with her tail held high, and stalked out of the camp. The entire fight had barely lasted longer than ten minutes, yet Gorsewing felt shaken to her core. _How could ThunderClan be so brutal? Did ShadowClan really deserve all that, even if they were stealing prey?_ She couldn't help but feel some guilt mounting in her throat. She felt Vinefeather press into her flank.

"Hey Gorsewing, you alright? You look like you just saw a StarClan cat," he mewed quietly.

"Hey, I'm alright. It's just . . . it's just that I'm starting to feel like that fight wasn't so necessary. The ShadowClan cats were already suffering, and we just made it worse," replied Gorsewing."

"Don't forget, they killed Whitefoot, they injured Sunfur and they stole our prey." mewed Vinefeather, "these cats aren't innocent you know, they're murderers." Gorsewing nodded slowly, just because ShadowClan was starving didn't excuse their actions. However, she still could help but the guilt pool at the bottom of her stomach as she walked home. If this was what being a warrior was all about, was it even worth it?

o-o-o

The next few days passed relatively uneventfully compared to the excitement of the battle. Gorsewing went through the motions of patrol and hunting, but her mind was elsewhere. _Did ShadowClan really deserve that?_ That same thought ran circles through her mind over and over, even breaching into her dreams at night. It was as if a cloth of doubt had been cast over her eyes, and they stopped her from being able to think clearly.

 _If ThunderClan could kill starving cats like that, what separates us from rogues?_ She couldn't get the shriek of the ShadowClan tom out of her ears. Lost in her thoughts she walked into camp, her eyes glazed over as she recounted the events. _Perhaps I shouldn't have warned Swallowstar, then she wouldn't have killed that she-cat. Oh, but that's my leader, it's my duty to protect her. But do I really have to foll-_

Her thoughts were cut short as she felt her muzzle slam into something soft and furry. Snapping out of her daze, she looked up to see Vinefeather looming over her.

"Hey there fuzzball," he mewed with a wink, "what are you thinking about?"

"Ah, uh, it's nothing really. Just thinking about some stuff," replied Gorsewing unconvincingly as she dropped her gaze down to her paws. Vinefeather's muzzle softened as he leaned down to nuzzle her.

"Well, I want to know what you're thinking about!" he mewed in a sarcastically loud voice, before pausing for dramatic effect. Seeing that Gorsewing didn't laugh, the ThunderClan tom's face turned into a worried frown. "Hey, Gorsewing? What's wrong? I've noticed you've been bothered by something for the last few days now." Gorsewing sighed, as much as she wanted to tell Vinefeather all about her troubles, she didn't know how to put them into words.

"I'm sorry Vinefeather, it's . . . it's not that I don't want to tell you. I think I just need some more time to process what happened." Gorsewing could see Vinefeather's brow furrow more as he turned his head slightly in frustration.

"It's . . . alright. I understand. You take your time, and when you're ready, I'm all ears," he mewed with a worried smile, "say, want to go share a vole? The hunting patrol just got back." Gorsewing began walking towards the Warrior's den.

"I think I'm good for now, I love you," she mewed quietly as she headed towards the den. Behind her, she heard Vinefeather begin to say something, but whatever it was, it seemed he decided against it. Painfully aware that Vinefeather was watching her, she tiredly slinked into a nest and curled up, willing sleep to take her away from her thoughts.


End file.
